Thief
by ohmyashlee
Summary: Naraku's "pet", a girl named Kagome, wishes more then anything for her own freedom. Will a young man named Inuyasha be able to give her that and something more...?
1. Chapter 1: Kagome

Thief 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the copyright property of Rumiko Takahashi so I do not own Inuyasha. *Sniffles*

Chapter 1: Kagome.

"What is she doing in there? Mr. Naraku is getting impatient..." One of the men standing in the dark hallway muttered to his partner, Takeru. They were both dressed in black, expensive business suits and wore black sunglasses. These were their uniforms, which they to wear at all times, no exceptions and no questions asked. 

His partner, who was standing on the other side of the hallway, shrugged his shoulders.

"Yoji, She always does this, you know that. She wants to stall and waist as much time as she can so she'll only have to spend only a little while with Mr. Naraku before he has to go off on business again" he said, smirking a little. He found in amusing thinking of how angry and irritable Naraku would always get if he didn't have enough time with his "pet." 

Yoji however didn't seem to find this situation amusing at all, it was frustrating and Takeru was only making things worse.

"I heard that she tried to slit his throat last time with a butter knife she had sharpened in her room. Can you believe that? Luckily a few guards came in just in time and were able to restrain her before she could do anything harmful to herself or to Mr. Naraku." 

"It's not surprising. She has been held in this place against her will for about 5 years you know. She despises Mr. Naraku and all who work under him."

There was a long silence after that. 

Takeru pulled his sunglasses down his nose and glanced at Yoji, "Go get her, will you?"  

Yoji nodded and approached the one door in the dark hallway and opened it. The room inside was brightly colored and furnished. Jewelry, clothing and other items were scattered messily around the floor. They were all gifts from Naraku, which the girl had never cared for or wanted. 

The large curtains over the windows in the room were still shut tight, blocking any sunlight from entering the room. Of course, even if the curtains were opened only a few rays of sunshine would shine threw. They had boarded up the windows a long time ago. Naraku wanted Kagome to be closed off from the outside world so no one would know she ever existed and so no one would ever be able to take her away from him. 

 The only light source in the room was a small scented candle on one of the tables. 

Yoji closed the door behind him and scanned the room. He found the girl they had been waiting for sitting in the far left corner of the dark room in front of the large mirror, which was resting against the wall. She was staring at her own reflection, her brown eyes blank with her back to him. 

She was dressed in a white, sleeveless silk dress, her dark hair tied back with a red ribbon and to top it all off she wore a black choker around her small neck, which was actually a collar that Naraku had put on her to have her remember at all times that he owned her. 

Her skin looked unnaturally pale and she appeared very fragile as if she were pushed or shoved she too roughly she would break.  

She wrinkled her nose at her reflection in disgust. She hated the way **_they _**dressed her. She hated the way **_they_** treated her and ordered her around. But more then anything else she **_hated _**Naraku.  

"Kagome, you've wasted enough time. Stop messing around. Come on, we have to go!" Yoji shouted, making his way over to the girl. He knew very well that he was going to have to face Naraku's wrath if they brought the girl late again. A cold chill ran down his spine just thinking about it. Naraku was the kind of person you never wanted to anger. **_Ever_**. 

Yoji had been working for Naraku's organization "**Shikon**" for more then two years now and he had received more then his share of Naraku's "punishments." After a few failures and disappointments he was ordered by Naraku to help Takeru keep watch over his "pet." 

The girl Kagome was worse then being "punished", worse then failing. She was more trouble then she was worth and she was their responsibility. If anything happened to her then they would be possibly killed or worse. Yoji never liked the girl to begin with. She was rude, uncooperative and dangerous. 

Yes, that's right dangerous. If they didn't keep a close eye on her she would **_always_** try something to escape. Once she had tried to poison their food, then another time she tried to sneak up behind them beat them unconscious using a vase from her room. Yoji had requested many times that Naraku take away all the things in Kagome's room, saying that she could use anything in there against them but Naraku hadn't listened to a word he had said. He insisted that Kagome be let alone and that they must never under any circumstances injure her. She was his prized possession, his plaything.

Kagome hadn't seemed to hear Yoji at all; she just kept staring at herself in the mirror quietly. 

After a few moments she turned her head and glared at Yoji with her intense dark eyes. "I won't go to him. You'll have to drag me to him, screaming!"

It seemed that this was the very last thing she should have said, before Kagome knew what had happened; Yoji had grabbed a fist full of her hair and was tugging mercifully at it. She cried out in pain and tumbled towards him, she managed hold herself up with one hand while trying to use the other to get him to let go but he wouldn't. 

He tugged again, this time harder then before. "You listen to me, damnit! I don't have time for your little games today. Your going to get up and follow us without any complaints, got it?" 

Kagome whimpered a reply and he let go just before Takeru came racing in to see what all the commotion was about. He quickly glanced at Kagome who was lying sprawled out on the floor, sobbing. Then he looked at Yoji. "What happened?"

"She slipped." Was Yoji's short reply as he walked passed Takeru and out of the room. 

Takeru approached Kagome and knelt down beside her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here." Kagome took the handkerchief gratefully and wiped her tears away but did not look at him. Her makeup was smudged and her eyes were red from crying. Takeru knew that Naraku wouldn't like this at all. He would most likely demand an explanation if they brought her like this. 

"What happened just now? Did Yoji---"

Kagome quickly cut him off. "I slipped. That's all." She handed him back his handkerchief and stood to her feet. "I'll be out in a minute, I promise. I just have to fix my makeup…"

Takeru said nothing for a moment and started into the girl's dark eyes. Kagome was really grateful to him even though she didn't really show it. She didn't really dislike Takeru either. Though he did work for Naraku he was far kinder then Yoji and he would even come in to her room on certain occasions and talk with her, ask her how she was doing. Kagome had very much appreciated the fact that he was trying to cheer her up when she felt depressed or lonely but no matter how much she tried she never felt whole. She always felt empty, alone and angry. Of course she had wanted to tell him this and once she had even though of asking him to help her escape but even if she had asked him Kagome knew he couldn't do anything to help her even if he wanted to. 

He worked for Naraku and would never betray him.

Takeru nodded and stood to his feet, making his way out of the room. "Don't be long, Kagome. You know how Naraku gets when you're late," he warned before closing the door behind him.

**.  .  .**

Takeru and Yoji led Kagome from her room down numerous dark hallways and passageways. They were all too familiar to Kagome. She had walked these dimly lit halls many times over the years, she would have been able to find her way on her own but of course she had tried to escape too many times and no one trusted her enough to walk by herself. Not they she blamed them; she wouldn't have trusted her either.

Takeru and Yoji stopped in front of a large door at the end of the hallway and took their places on either side of it. The door slowly creaked opened and a voice ran out and echoed along the walls: "Kagome! Come to me!"

Kagome stood where she was staring helplessly into the darkness, which lied inside the door. She felt like running away, or hiding but she knew that even if she tried there was nowhere for her to run to.

Yoji glared at Kagome from where he stood. "Go on, get in there."

Kagome turned her gaze away from the dark abyss ahead and towards Takeru. He was standing tall and straight, looking away from her. 

_That's right, he can't help me..._ Kagome thought. _No one can_. _I'm all alone_. 

From within the darkness a voice rang out again, echoing along the walls. "Kagome!" 

She winced but swallowed her fear and marched into the doorway, entering the large room where Naraku had been waiting patiently for her.

He was seated at the head of the room on a large pillow. This room was no different from all the others. It was dimly lit for Naraku's comfort. He liked the darkness. The room itself was bare and cold. 

Kagome slowly approached Naraku and knelt down in front of him on a small pillow. His face was hidden in the shadows so she couldn't tell if he was angry or not. 

"Kagome…" A hand extended towards her and it stopped near her cheek. Kagome could feel Naraku's cold fingers lightly touch her skin and caress her cheek with his rough hands. 

She couldn't help but tremble, she wanted to scream and tell him not to touch her but he owned her and she knew it. If she lashed out at him he would surely beat her.

Naraku pulled away when she trembled. They sat there in the large empty room in silence once more then Kagome suddenly found herself lying flat on the floor, her whole head was throbbing. 

Naraku was standing over her now, she could see his face clearly in the light, he was angry and had slapped her hard across the face but it had felt like he had used his fist instead of his palm. 

Kagome groaned and slowly sat up, holding her stinging cheek. "Naraku-sama…"

Naraku just kept glaring at her. "Why did you tremble when I touched you? Does my presence disgust you that much?!" he demanded. 

Kagome didn't say anything and sat very still, thinking. What should she say? Should she tell Naraku what she really thought of him and how dirty she felt when he had touched and how much she hated him? She would have thought that with their last encounter he would already know the answer to that question. Maybe he was just testing her to see if she really would surrender herself to him, completely. 

Kagome's lips trembled and she spoke softly. "I…." 

The doors to the room suddenly swung open, catching both Naraku and Kagome by surprise. 

It was Naraku's business partner Kagura. Trailing behind her were Takeru and Yoji, who looked really pissed. Obviously they had tried to stop the woman from entering but Kagura was known for being pushy and very bold. She wasn't afraid of Naraku like everyone else was.

"Naraku" she said to him coolly, completely ignoring Kagome. "We have a situation."

Naraku didn't say anything to her but glared daggers at the two men behind her. "I thought I told you never to disturb me when I'm in this room" he said to Kagura.

"It's an emergency, **sir**."  

Naraku's face remained emotionless. "Very well." He began to leave but turned and patted Kagome on the head, smiling coldly at her. Kagome looked away and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "We will continue this later, my dear." And then he left.

**.  .  .**

Takeru and Yoji both looked very uneasy, as they had escorted Kagome back to her room. Yoji had been mumbling curses under his breath while Takeru remained as silent as always.

Kagome was now alone, again in her large room. Her cheek was still throbbing but the pain wasn't as bad now. She wandered to the mirror in her room and sat in front of it, staring at her pitiful reflection once more. 

As more and more time passed Kagome had only felt more miserable and lonely. 

If only she could escape this hellhole and finally be free of Naraku then maybe she could go out try and live a normal life. She knew however that this kind of thinking was foolish. She would never be free of Naraku. He would always be there, watching her. He owned her. 

Kagome had been brought to Naraku when she was just child. 

Her mother had left Kagome's younger brother Sota with a friend and took Kagome for a walk. She told her that they were going to visit a friend. 

They had spent a few hours in Naraku's house; her mother had left her and gone to speak privately with Naraku in his office while Kagome was left alone in the living room.

Her mother left soon after but Kagome did not. 

Takeru was the one that presented Kagome with her "choker" and he had told her that she was to live with Naraku and be his "special friend." Back then, being the naïve child she was, she hadn't realized that all of this meant. Kagome had asked Takeru frequently when her mother would come back and get her. Takeru would always tell her the same thing, "She won't come for a long time, Kagome. You have to stay here with Naraku. I'm sure you'll see your mother again…someday."

Kagome soon came to realize that she would never be able to see her mother again, or anyone else for that manner. Her mother had sold her to Naraku and Kagome was now his property to do with as he pleased. She didn't really hate her mother…no, she just pitied her, they were poor and she had hardly enough money to feed herself let alone two growing children. Her mother had become so desperate that she was forced to sell her eldest child, if that was really the case. 

Kagome wished that she could go to her mother and ask her why she did what she did…but she didn't even know if her mother was still alive. She had forgotten what her mother looked like already and her brother as well. Hell, she couldn't even remember her own last name.  

She was a girl without a past and she would never be able to get the chance to be happy. 

**.  .  .**

Back in Naraku's office, he was looking over something while Kagura stood in front of his desk waiting for him to say something.

"**This** is what your worried about?"

Kagura stiffened. "What do you mean?! This is serious. Our company's good name will be soiled if that kid goes to the authorities" she shouted angrily. Naraku just looked at her then back down at the small note in front of him. 

"The boy has no evidence, only his word and who do you think the authorities will believe if he does try and tell them I killed his father with absolutely no evidence to back up his claim? A delusional, orphaned teenaged boy with a criminal record or a powerful, well respected business man?"

Kagura said nothing for a while. "Still, we have to take this seriously. You know what this boy has done in the past to try and ruin you. He has nothing to lose, you know." She really didn't know why she was telling him this. She knew as well as he did that he was toying with the boy. 

Naraku wanted to destroy him as much as the boy wanted to destroy Naraku.

"If you're worried then you can deal with the boy yourself."

Kagura frowned. "Fine, I will." And then she left the room silently. Naraku watched her go with a amused look on his face then looked yet again at the small note on his desk.

_Naraku,_

_I swore on the day that my father was murdered that I would avenge him. I know you were the one who killed him and I'll do anything in my power to ruin your company and your life. I'll rob you of everything you hold dear then I will kill you with my bare hands. _

_Be on the look out. I might pay you a visit tonight._

_-Inuyasha_

To be continued…or not. =P 

(A/N: Hello everyone! This is the end first chapter of **Thief**. I don't really know where I'm going to take this story but I do plan on making it an Inuyasha x Kagome fan fiction. Inuyasha will be appearing in the next chapter for sure to pay Naraku a "little visit." Anyway please review and tell me what you think of it so far. If you have any suggestions, they would also be very helpful.)    


	2. Chapter 2: Who are you?

Thief 

Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha… *sighs*

Chapter 2: Who are you?

Inside a small, run-down apartment building, in room 231 sat a young man with long dark hair near the large window in his living room. His unique violet eyes stared out at the stars longingly. 

He had done this as long as he could remember. The stars were too beautiful not to gaze up at. 

The lights inside his apartment were off; well, actually they were turned off and had been off for a long time, the electricity bill had gone unpaid for too long and…we all know how impatient the electric company can get. 

There was a quiet knock on the door and the boy looked up, making his way over to it and opening it slowly, cautiously peering out. 

"Inuyasha! Long time no see!" a cheerful voice said, making Inuyasha jump back in surprise. 

"M-Miroku…?" 

It was Miroku Hoshi, one of his old acquaintances and classmates from school. Inuyasha had only attended a few years of high school, after his father's murder he had dropped out and right before graduation.  

"What do you want?" he asked in an irritated tone. He wasn't in the mood for visitors, not that he got them very often. 

One of the reasons he had stopped going to stop was because of students like Hoshi. Annoyingly perky and cheerful…Miroku had also been the school's resident pervert. 

Miroku pouted, visibly hurt. "Aw, Inuyasha! You aren't happy to see me? I thought you would be" he said and walked right passed Inuyasha not waiting to be invited into the apartment. 

"H-hey, get out, will you? I don't have time for this!"

Miroku kept walking as if he hadn't heard him and glanced around the dark room. It was pretty bare, no furniture except for a chair here and there and a small coffee table but that was about it. There was also a television but it was so dusty that Miroku had concluded that Inuyasha hadn't used it in ages. 

"Ne, Inu-kun, why is it so dark in here?" he asked curiously. The tone in Miroku's voice was making Inuyasha sick. "Speak normally if you're going to stay!" he shouted and slammed the front door shut so hard it made Miroku wince. 

"You're no fun." Miroku grinned and took a seat in one of the chairs in the living room. 

Inuyasha grunted and made his way back over to the window, sitting back down with a thud.

Without looking at the boy, Inuyasha asked: "What do you want, Miroku?"

"Nothing. I was just worried about you. We **were** friends back in high school, if you've forgotten."

"We weren't friends…"

"Oh, is that so?"

There was uncomfortable silence after that. 

Miroku fidgeted in his chair, glanced around the room some more, as if the room was going to shrink in a manner of seconds. Finally he said: "You've changed…"

Inuyasha glanced at Miroku, still frowning. "So you've noticed."

Yes, Inuyasha had changed. Drastically. Back when they had still attending school together, when they were still friends, Miroku could recall Inuyasha being more open about his feelings, he was more caring and considerate of others, but now Miroku could see that over the past year Inuyasha had closed his heart to emotions he had once himself displayed frequently. He had grown cold, uncaring and angry. 

His father had been his only parent, his mother had died giving birth to him but Inuyasha had gotten over his mother's death only with the help of his father. 

His father had been Inuyasha's mental and emotional stabilizer. After his murder Inuyasha had stopped caring about school, about life. Miroku had tried countless times to try and get Inuyasha to talk to him and tell him what was wrong but Inuyasha refused to talk to anyone. Not even his girlfriend could get him to talk; she soon gave up and left him to move away to America. 

Inuyasha had stopped communicating with all his friends after that, including Miroku for a about a year. 

Inuyasha had disappeared and Miroku had no way of finding him. He had not only moved out of his old house but he had also gone around using a new name. 

Miroku had all but given up hope until about a week ago. He had been talking to a friend at the time and 'odd jobs' had become the topic of discussion. His friend had told him that a few days ago he had worked for an old woman named Kaede who lived out on the countryside in an old shrine. 

"She had put an ad in the newspaper asking for strong, young men to come and chop wood for her. The pay was good so I went down to the shrine to check it out. There were already a few guys there when I arrived and one of them hard really long dark hair and the strangest eye color." His friend went on. 

Miroku who hadn't been paying much attention until then had become very interested. Anyone would have known that it was Inuyasha with that description. Long dark hair, strange eye color? Yup, that's Inuyasha all right. 

"He didn't say much to anyone and when he did it was either: 'Get out of my way' or 'Move.'" He could recall his friend saying.

_Yup, that's Inuyasha all right _Miroku thought and laughed out loud. Inuyasha glared Miroku. "What are you laughing about?" 

"Nothing, nothing…Inuyasha?"

"What?"

Miroku stood up and stared at Inuyasha. "You aren't going to do anything stupid are you?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Of course not…"

"Ah!" his friend gasped. "You're really planning on going after Naraku aren't you?!" he said, gaping at Inuyasha in disbelief. 

"What if I am?!"

"Are you crazy? Naraku is a very powerful businessman and you…you're just a teenaged drop out." Miroku wasn't trying to be rude or anything but it was the truth. What did Inuyasha expect to accomplish by going after a man like Naraku? 

"I'm no fool. I know exactly whom I'm dealing with."

"Do you, Inuyasha? Do you really? I'm your friend. Like it or not and I don't want to see you ruin your life or worse, get yourself killed with the excuse of avenging your father. Your father wouldn't have wanted you to destroy any chances you had of starting a normal life. Why don't you just forget about all this? Try and get in contact with your old girlfriend? And get a job to pay the electric pay bill for Christ's sake!"

Inuyasha slammed his fist up against the wall, and seemed to make the whole room shake. "I didn't ask you to come here and frankly I'd nothing more then to see you leave, right now." Inuyasha walked over to the front door and opened it. It was apparent to Miroku that he had overstayed his welcome. He really hadn't meant to upset Inuyasha, he was just concerned for his friend's well-being but it seemed that Inuyasha was too consumed with avenging his father to notice.

Miroku sighed and threw his arms up into the air in defeat. "Fine, I'll leave" he said. "But I'll be back, Inuyasha. I'm not giving up on you, I wouldn't be a real friend if I did that." He grinned at Inuyasha as he left. 

Inuyasha frowned and slammed the door behind him. _God, I had forgotten how annoying he was. _Inuyasha thought to himself, rubbing his temples with his fingertips.

He turned and headed back into his bedroom. It was getting late and he would have to get ready to go out. He was going to pay Naraku a little visit tonight and cause some chaos while he was at it. Inuyasha grinned and cracked his knuckles. 

This is going to be fun… 

**.  .  .**

Kagome sighed and stretched out her sore limps. She had been sitting on the floor just staring at her own reflection in the mirror for a good 3 hours. It wasn't like she had anything better to do…

Naraku had supplied a bookshelf of hundreds of pieces of literature and storybooks as a gift and to keep her busy but Kagome had already read them all and reread them a dozen times. There was nothing else in her room that she could entertain herself with, the room itself was a prison.

The door to her room opened and in walked Takeru, carrying a first aid kit in his left hand.

"Takeru-san…?"

He smiled at her and walked up to her. "Sorry to disturb you, Kagome. I just came to treat that wound" he told her and gently touched her cheek. She winced a little and pulled away. "It's nothing. It just stings a little…I'll be fine."

"Mr. Naraku hit you pretty hard tonight, didn't he? I think this will turn into a bruise."

Kagome looked at Takeru in surprise. 

After meeting with Naraku Kagome would always come out with bruises, scratches and bite marks all over her body. Naraku was a very psychical person but it wasn't only that, he had a very quick temper and he'd usually decide to take his anger out on Kagome. Takeru and Yoji always seemed to ignore the wounds and injuries she had, whatever Naraku did with her was his own business and not theirs. Occasionally she had gotten badly beaten Takeru would often come and her wounds but he never said anything about them or about Naraku. 

"Takeru-san…?"

"What is it?"

Kagome just shook her head. "No, nothing…" 

Takeru put some medicine on her cheek then taped a cloth patch over it. "There."

"Thank you."

Takeru put the supplies back into the medical kit then after he was done he turned to Kagome. "Ah…Kagome, there was something I've been meaning to tell you---"  

But he was interrupted by a loud crash and shouts coming from outside the room. Takeru quickly stood to his feet and ran towards the door. As soon as he managed to get it open a loud explosion erupted outside and knocked him right off his feet. 

Kagome got to her feet and ran over to him. "Are you all right?" she asked. He nodded, holding his head as he sat up. "Looks like we're under attack…"

"Eh?" Kagome looked out through the doorway and down the hall. She saw the bodies of numerous guards lying on the ground, on fire. The hall itself was a complete mess. Takeru got to his feet once again and looked at Kagome. "Stay here. I'm going to get some help." Then he left, running down the opposite hallway and quickly disappearing in the thick black smoke.

Kagome stood where she was a while then looked down both hallways. No one was around…this would probably be the perfect time to escape. She knew she didn't have much time but maybe…just maybe she would be able to slip away during the confusion.

Kagome was about to run out into the hallway when an arm suddenly shot out from the thick smoke in front of her and roughly pushed her back inside her room. Kagome landed hard on her back and smacked her head against the wooden floor. She winced painfully and looked up at the ceiling. She couldn't see straight…everything was spinning. 

She heard the door shut and she heard the thunder of footsteps come and go. 

"_Hey…! Hey…!"_

It was a voice she didn't recognize. Someone or something grabbed her by the arms and pulled her upright. Kagome stared blankly at the blurred figure in front of her. She strained to focus on it and tried to decide if it was Yoji or Takeru. 

"Hey!"

No, it wasn't Takeru or Yoji. She couldn't recognize the voice that was speaking to her. "Who…?" she mumbled as her vision began to focus again. Kagome blinked in surprise when she saw a boy her age kneeling in front of her. He was dressed in all black. His dark hair was much longer then hers, trailing all the way down to his waist and she couldn't help but stare into his lovely violet eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen or could remember seeing.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she finally asked, trying to pull away from him but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders, keeping a firm grip on her. The boy just stared at her as if she had just been set on fire and still didn't have a burn or scratch on her. That look, naturally, would disturb anyone.

"Let go---"

"Kikyo…" he murmured breathlessly. 

Kagome blinked again. Who was he talking about? "I'm not Kikyo! My name is Kagome!" she shouted which seemed to snap him out of his dazed state. He looked a little more closely at her and took her chin in his hand. He turned her face, this way and that, studying her profile. 

Kagome frowned and was about to demand that he let her go but he released her before she had the chance.

"You're not Kikyo…"

Kagome glared at him. "I told you that already" she snapped. This was not a good day, definitely **not** a good day. "Who are you?" she asked again. 

"Who are **you**?"

"I asked you first!"

The boy's violet eyes widened for a second and then grunted out: "My name is Inuyasha Hanyou. That's all you need to know." Then he waited patiently for her reply. 

"Oh, my name is Kagome…um…I don't know my last name."

The boy Inuyasha stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't know? How can you **not** know your last name?"

Kagome fidgeted and was about to tell him when she suddenly realized that everyone who worked for Naraku knew one way or another why she didn't know her last name or rather why she had been made to forget. "You don't work for Naraku, do you…?"

"No."

"Then how---?"

"Naraku is my enemy. Those explosions out there are my doing." Inuyasha grinned and looked very pleased with himself. 

Kagome's eyes widened and Inuyasha seemed to be expecting for her to start screaming and yelling for help but she didn't, instead she smiled. 

"W-what are you smiling about?!"

Kagome leaned in closer to him, her hands clasped together. If this boy didn't work for Naraku then maybe he would be able to tell her about the outside world and possibility help her escape from Naraku. "Tell me. What is the outside world like? What do you do out there? What does it look like? What does it smell like? Oh, how'd you get in here? Do you have others with you? Are you alone?"

Inuyasha slowly inched away from Kagome; obviously surprised by the truckload of questions she was asking him. He was about to tell her to shut up when he thought he heard footsteps coming their way. He quickly grabbed Kagome and slapped his hand over her mouth. 

The footsteps came closer and closer until finally then just stopped. Inuyasha didn't know what to make of this and stayed very still for a few minutes until a muffled scream turned his attention back to the girl, Kagome. She was turning paler by the second and she was slapping the hand clamped over her face. Inuyasha soon realized that he had not only covered her mouth but her nose as well, cutting off her air supply. He released her and muttered a short apology while Kagome stood there next to him gasping for air. She looked up and glared at him but Inuyasha hadn't noticed the hateful look she was giving him because his attention was directed elsewhere, back towards the door. 

There was a moment of silence. Neither of them moved an inch. 

Kagome opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when he immediately shushed her and ran over to her bookshelf. He got up alongside it and shoved it in front of her door just as the door had begun to open.

_They've found us…_Kagome thought. 

"Open the door, Inuyasha, we know you're in there. There is no place left for you to hide!" A voice said from the other side of the door. Kagome recognized it at once. It was Kagura. 

Inuyasha didn't bother replying; instead he glanced around Kagome's room. Obviously looking for an escape route. He walked over to the windows and threw open the curtains, revealing the boarded up windows.

"Hey, girl, take cover."

"What are you planning to do?" 

Inuyasha turned his eyes towards her and glared. "Just shut up and do as I say!"

Kagome frowned. Were all boys her age like this or was he a special case? She was about to protest some more when someone on the other side of the door called out her name. "Kagome? Are you in there?" It was Yoji. 

Kagome bit her lip. Should she say something or shouldn't she? If she didn't say a word and they caught them she knew she would be punished one way or another. There was no way she could escape now. She was trapped, again. "Yes…I'm here."

Kagura suddenly spoke again. Her voice was much louder now. "You don't mean to tell me that Naraku's pet is in that room with Inuyasha, do you?"

"Ah…yes, Miss Kagura…" Yoji replied sheepishly.

Inuyasha turned his head at this and stared at Kagome, frowning. "Humph. I should have guessed. So, what's it like to be Naraku's lover, you filthy whore?" he spat. His attitude had changed; he looked and sounded much angrier then before but why was he attacking her? She was not his enemy, Naraku was. 

Kagome was starting to feel a little frightened but this boy wasn't Naraku and he wasn't working for Naraku, he had no power over her and there was no reason to fear him. She could fight back and defend herself without being punished.

"How dare you judge me before you even have the chance to get to know me!" Kagome snapped. "I'm not here because I want to be. I'm a prisoner! I despise Naraku with all my being, probably more then you and I've wished for nothing more for the past five years then for my freedom!"

She had said it. Kagome had finally said out loud what she had wanted to say for so long. It felt good to get it off her chest and she didn't care if the whole world or Naraku knew. Tears began to well up in Kagome's eye and she started to sniffle softly.

Inuyasha stared blankly at the girl in front of him, immediately starting to feel guilty about his outburst. She looked so small and fragile but her spirit was strong. 

The bookshelf was wobbling again, Kagura and her guards were trying their hardest to get in now but he wasn't worried, he knew that **he** could escape but…

Inuyasha crossed his arms and stared off into space a moment, thinking. Then it seemed he had made up his mind. "All right. I've decided," he said.

Kagome looked up at him, tears still pooling down her cheeks. 

"I've decided…to you steal you away."

At that moment the bookshelf finally fell over, sending books and pages scattering everywhere. Kagura and her men burst through the door, armed. 

"This is the end of the line, Inuyasha" Kagura said, glaring at him hatefully. Who would have thought that a boy this young could be so much trouble? Well, she was going to make sure he would never be a problem again. Kagura looked over at the guards behind her and ordered: "Shoot him."

Yoji grabbed Kagura's shoulder, which everyone knew was a bold thing to do. Kagura never liked to be touched, especially by men. "You'll shoot Kagome too," he muttered. 

The businesswoman slapped Yoji's hand away and looked ahead where Kagome was standing. Smiling, she drew her gun and aimed it at her. "Naraku can find a new pet…"

"Kagura!" 

Inuyasha reacted quickly and grabbed Kagome by the wrist, pulling her over to him and wrapping his arms protectively around her right before Kagura had fired her gun. 

Kagome eyes widened in shock but…as the boy she hardly even knew held her so close him she felt a warm feeling inside, something she had never experienced before when Naraku had held her. Kagome liked this feeling. It felt something like a faint memory.

Kagome's heart began to race and she looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. "Inu…Yasha."

Gunshots were fired directly at the two. Inuyasha grabbed one of the tables in the room and turned it over, taking cover behind it. 

"Damnit, girl. Are you always this thick-headed?" Kagome heard Inuyasha growl into her ear. She looked up at him and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"They were going to shoot you and you…you just stood there."

"They would never shoot me."

"Why? Because your Naraku's pet?"

Kagome pushed away from him a little and started to get up but Inuyasha grabbed her by the arm and pulled her right back down on top of him. 

Kagome blushed furiously and she began to struggle now. "W-what are you doing? You want to escape don't you? I can try to distract them and---"

Inuyasha interrupted her. "I don't need help escaping. Besides, if you stood up now they'd shoot you and kill you within seconds." He paused for a moment then looked down into her eyes. "Anyway, I told you before…I've decided to steal you away from Naraku. I'm not letting you get away."

He held her close again and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small grenade. "Lets get out of here." He bit off the cap, spit it out and threw the grenade at one of the windows; it ignited in matter of seconds sending pieces of glass and wood everywhere. There was now a large, gaping hole in the wall and that was their escape route. 

Inuyasha collect Kagome into his arms and started to run over to the giant hole in the wall.

"I'm not letting you get away that easily," Kagura hissed, aiming her gun at Inuyasha's back then she fired just as Inuyasha leapt out the hole. The guards rushed over moments later and peered outside. There was no sign of Kagome or Inuyasha. They had escaped.

**.  .  .**

Inuyasha and Kagome were now in a dark alleyway. Inuyasha had been breathing very uneasily since they had left Naraku's mansion and had said that he needed to rest. They sat side-by-side together on the filthy ground but neither seemed to mind. Kagome looked up above at the blue sky with wonder while Inuyasha just sat there sometimes staring at the wall ahead then sometimes he stole a glance at her.

"It's so pretty. I can't remember the last time I saw a sky this blue." Kagome smiled and looked over to Inuyasha. He too smiled, just a little, but coughed a moment after. He was beginning to look very pale and beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead. 

"Inuyasha, are you all right?"

He didn't say anything and coughed again, spitting something up onto his hand in the process. It was blood. 

Kagome's eyes widened and she turned to him. "You're wounded! Why didn't you say anything early?" she asked, panic in her voice. 

Inuyasha just smiled at her. "It's nothing…really," he was gasping for air now. Kagome knew he was lying. He had been fine before but what had happened before they left?

"Ah!"

Inuyasha fell limp into Kagome's arms and his breathing was very shallow. She looked down and saw the wound in his back. He had been shot and it looked as if he had been bleeding since they left. 

_Why did he do that…?_

She held him close, a million things running through her head at once. Inuyasha had helped her escape Naraku, he was her savior and the only person she knew to help her try and make it in the outside world. He couldn't die on her now! She knew very little about medicine, meaning nothing to treat a bullet wound and even if she did she was stuck in a dark alley way with no medical supplies and no place to go.  

_What should I do…?_  

To be continued…or not. =P 

(A/N: Thanks to everyone who read my sad little fic and a special thanks to those of you who reviewed! I really, **really** appreciate it. Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter, okay? _Next chapter: Proper introduction._)


	3. Chapter 3: Proper Introduction

Thief 

Disclaimer: See chapters one and two for the disclaimer. *is too lazy to write* 

Chapter 3: Proper Introduction.

Kagome was on the sidewalk, right outside of the alley. There were so many people around that she had a hard time moving through the crowd. She stumbled to a stop near a light pole and looked around. The streets and sidewalks were busy with movement, not one person stayed still for very long and everyone was either running or walking somewhere. 

Kagome needed help and the only thing she could think of doing was asking someone on the street. Building up her courage she blocked the path of a young woman with flaming red hair and quite a few shopping bags in her hands. The woman looked at Kagome, her big red lips grew tight in annoyance.  

"Um, excuse me…"

Kagome didn't get the chance to finish; the woman walked right passed her and continued on her way, muttering to herself about how rude people in the city were. Kagome sighed and tried to ask a few more people but they just ignored her as well.

This is going to be a lot harder then I thought…she thought warily. Kagome had imagined everyone in the outside world being friendly to someone in need but apparently she had been wrong. The world was much different then she imagined, but she didn't blame people for staring and giving her odd looks as they passed. Her dress was torn and had black smudges all over it from the smoke, not to mention the large bandage on her cheek. She was a mess. 

A big man in a leather jacket knocked shoulders with Kagome as he passed her on the sidewalk. They both stumbled and looked at each other. "Watch it, will you?" he grumbled out and turned to leave but Kagome grabbed his jacket, making him stop. "Sir, I need help, my friend has been injured and I don't know where to go." 

The man gave her an odd look and Kagome quickly added, "I-I'm from out of town." 

"Oh, is that all? Well. I think you can go to the local hospital. It's not far." Kagome knew she couldn't go to the hospital. Naraku was a very powerful man and he had connections all over the city and she knew that he would look everywhere for her and Inuyasha. If Naraku knew that Inuyasha was injured he would also look in all the hospitals around the city.

"Is there anywhere else I could go?" she asked hopefully.

The man shook his head. "Sorry, I can't help you. I'm in a hurry today anyway. Good luck." And then he turned and left her. 

Kagome sighed again. She had gotten nowhere fast and she had asked at least 10 people for help. She knew she wouldn't have much luck asking anyone else; it seemed that everyone was in too much of a hurry. 

If only she knew where Inuyasha lived then maybe she would be able to get him there and somehow help him on her own.

Kagome turned and started head back into the alleyway when she noticed a woman talking in some sort of booth. She stopped and stared, watching the woman talk into a black receiver then she hung up minutes later and marched out of the booth and into the crowd afterwards, quickly disappearing into the sea of people on the street. 

Kagome ran over to the booth and saw that it was a telephone booth and a telephone booth always had a telephone book. She found it hanging down from the phone attached to a short metal cable. Kagome picked it up, opened it then began skimming through it. These things always came in alphabetic order, last name first or at least that's what she could remember.

"Hanyou…Hanyou…Hanyou…" she whispered Inuyasha's last name over and over again, her finger trailing down the endless list of names and identities, something she didn't have. "Hanyou…Hanyou…ah! Hanyou Inuyasha!"

Kagome had successfully been able to find his address but now she needed some paper to write it on and something to write it down with. There was a pen lying on the floor of the booth, she quickly picked it up and scribbled on her hand to make sure it worked, fortunately it did, but now she needed paper. She kept one of her fingers on the page with Inuyasha's address on it and skimmed through the phone book, picking a page and ripping it out.

Kagome quickly copied the address down then ran out of the booth and back down the alleyway. 

Well, at least I have a place to take Inuyasha, but how am I going to get him there?  She thought. If Inuyasha were still unconscious she would have to carry him all the way there. 

Kagome approached Inuyasha, who was sitting up with his head against the wall, still out like a light. He was also still bleeding pretty badly and he was getting paler by the minute from the loss of blood. 

Kagome ripped off a long piece of her dress and used it to wrapped around Inuyasha's waist to try and help stop the bleeding. That would probably buy her some time. Hopefully, she could get Inuyasha home and be able to help him there.

Kagome sighed and reached up, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "All right, Inuyasha. Lets get going."

**.   .   .**

Back at the mansion, the guards were still cleaning up the mess that Inuyasha had made for them. 

Kagura was standing in the far right corner of what used to be Kagome's room; almost everything had been completely destroyed. Yoji and Takeru entered the room silently and approached Kagura.

"Mr. Naraku wants to see you in his office." Yoji informed her. He didn't have to tell her why Naraku was calling on her; she knew that it was about Kagome being taken by Inuyasha. 

Kagura wasn't going to give Naraku the satisfaction of taking his anger out of her though, no sir. She had warned him before Inuyasha had come that they should take him seriously but he hadn't listened and now his precious pet was gone, that was his fault not hers. That wasn't what upset her however. It was the fact that she had been driving herself crazy trying to figure out why Naraku was so fond of the girl, Kagome. She was useless and incompetent, what was so special about her?

"Very well." Kagura followed Yoji and Takeru to Naraku's office then they left her inside the dark room alone. 

Naraku was behind his desk, his chair turned towards the hundreds of monitors on the back wall. There were cameras all around Naraku's mansion and the images they recorded were all taken back to these monitors. 

"You sent for me?"

Naraku didn't reply for a few moments. "Yes." He replied calmly and surprised Kagura. She was expecting to walk it and see him blowing steam through his ears.

Kagura crossed her arms over her chest. "What is it this time?"

Naraku chose not to answer her this time and reached into one of the drawers on his desk, taking out a remote control. He held it up and pushed a single button. The monitors clicked then blinked and suddenly became one whole image. Kagura looked up at the monitors and frowned. She was now staring at an image of herself, standing in the doorway of Kagome's room with Yoji and the guards behind her. The screens clicked again and the image began to move. 

The Kagura on the wall had just slapped Yoji's hand away and was now holding her gun up, aiming at Kagome. _"Naraku can find a new pet…"_

The image was paused again and there was silence. 

"I can explain…" Kagura started but Naraku cut her off. "Be silent!" he screamed. 

"It's not my fault that's she's gone. I warned you---"

"If Inuyasha had not come, you still would have tried to kill Kagome, isn't that right? It makes no difference that Inuyasha was around at the time, you're using him as an excuse." He paused a moment then continued. "You are my business partner, Kagura, and you dwell in my home. So, I must be able to trust you with both my company and my possessions." Naraku paused again and waited for Kagura to say something but she didn't. "This little stunt makes me seriously rethink our business relationship. If I can't trust you with my possessions then how can I trust you with my company and my money for that matter? Where does your loyalty lie?"

"I'm sorry, Naraku. It won't happen again." Kagura bit out and turned to leave. "One more thing, I want you to help Takeru and Yoji bring Kagome back to me. If you bring her back **alive** I'll overlook this situation as if it never happened."

"Very well, **sir**."

**.   .   .**

Kagome had managed to find Inuyasha's apartment building but it had taken her a good two hours to walk there, carrying Inuyasha on her back. She was hunched over, breathing heavily and was in a sort of squatting position as she walked. Not the most gracefully way to walk down the street but it was the only way she could manage with the extra body weight added to her own. People had stared, laughed at her and some people had even knocked into things gaping too long at her as she slowly passed by but that didn't matter to her. She had finally made it to the building and Inuyasha was still alive. That was all that mattered to her.

She opened her hand and read the paper that had Inuyasha's address on it. His apartment was number 231. Kagome made her into the building and looked around; an elevator was open and ready to go up. 

"Ah, hold the elevator!" she called. 

The person inside placed his or her hand on the door to keep it from shutting giving Kagome enough time to waddle in. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to thank the person who had held it for her but all she could really see of him in her bent position was his shoes. She turned her head a little until she was able to see his face. 

It was a young man with brown hair, a student she guessed by the uniform he was wearing and he looked around Kagome's age. 

"Thank you very much" Kagome said and was about to bow but she knew that if she did both she and Inuyasha would go toppling to the floor. The boy looked at her a moment then asked, "Are you all right? What happened to you?"

"Oh…we just got into an accident."

"Is he all right?" the young man asked, pointing at the unconscious Inuyasha who's arms were hanging over her shoulders, head on one of his arms. Kagome nodded, "he's just unconscious."

"Oh my. Which apartment are you?"

Kagome looked down at the paper again. "Number 231." The young man smiled, "that's on my floor. You look tired. Maybe I could help you carry your boyfriend in."

"Ah, h-he's not my boyfriend" Kagome said quickly. "Anyway, I wouldn't want to trouble you. I can make it from here." She was trying desperately to make some kind of excuse so the guy would just continue on his way like everyone else had. She had just realized that if he noticed Inuyasha's wound she was certain that he would ask about it. But the young man insisted on helping her so she gave it.

"My name is Hojo, nice to meet you…?"

"Kagome." She spoke up.

The elevator doors opened and Hojo and Kagome walked out. Hojo took Inuyasha into his arms and carried him for the rest of the way. They approached the door, which said '231' in bold numbers, and they stood there for a while.

"Aren't you going to open the door?" Hojo asked. Kagome blinked and whipped around, "ah, right. Yes. Um. Key…Key…" she said and patted her dress, which had no pockets, with her hands. She looked up at Hojo who was staring at her curiously and she laughed nervously. "I guess I must have dropped it somewhere…maybe Inuyasha has an extra one on him." She walked over to him and searched his pockets; sure enough she found the apartment key and quickly went to open it. The door slowly creaked open and a well-furnished, brightly lit and cheerful looking apartment greeted them. 

"Wow…" Kagome gasped. This was a **guy's** apartment? Kagome looked ahead and saw something pinned on the wall. She walked over and saw that it was a note, which read:

_Inuyasha,_

_I did a little redecorating today. I hope you don't mind. I also paid all of your utility bills so you have electricity and water again. _

_I'm your friend so I'm going to look after you, like it or not. I'll probably be by today to visit so be prepared! _**^.^**__

_Your friend,_

_-Miroku_

Kagome smiled and set the note down on one of the tables. Miroku, huh? He sounded like a good guy and a hell of a good friend too. 

"Where do you want me to put him?" Hojo asked.

"Oh, sorry about that, just put him down on the floor. I can manage on my own now." Kagome said. Hojo nodded and laid Inuyasha down then started to head out the front door. "So, Kagome, will I be able to see you around this apartment building again?" 

Kagome smiled nervously and nodded. "I would think so," she said slowly, but she didn't know anything for sure. Inuyasha could wake up any minute and throw her out of his apartment for all she knew. One thing was so sure though, Kagome didn't want to be alone.

Hojo and Kagome exchanged goodbyes and then Kagome watched him leave. Unbelievably he hadn't noticed Inuyasha's wound at all, maybe he just didn't want to ask or maybe…he was just dense. Hojo was nonetheless the first person besides Inuyasha had at least been kind to her but unlike Inuyasha he seemed like an all-around-nice-guy. 

Kagome had only known Inuyasha for a little while but she already knew that his moods changed without warning, one moment he would be talking to you quietly then the next he was yelling at the top of his lungs. 

Kagome couldn't really decide if she liked him or not but right now he was the only person she had in the world. 

She closed the door and walked around the apartment, searching through cupboards and closets trying to find blankets, pillows and a medical kit, but where would they be?

**.   .   .**

Night had come quickly and out standing under one of the light posts were Yoji and Takeru. They were waiting for Kagura to come out of one of the local hospitals. She had told them when they left the mansion that she was positive she wounded Inuyasha and that he would undoubtedly go to a hospital to get it treated. So far, they had no luck after asking at three hospitals but Kagura had assured them that one way or another he would need a hospital.

"What makes you so sure?" Yoji had asked her.

"The bullets in my gun are no ordinary bullets. After being embedded in the human flesh it attaches itself to whatever it can organs, flesh, and then injects a deadly poison into the victim's blood stream. It doesn't take long for the poison to start killing your vital organs. It's very painful and it's nearly impossible to escape death, that is unless you take the bullet out and if you can find it." Kagura had replied coolly. 

"He's a smart boy. I'm sure he'll find a way to survive," Takeru had said much to Yoji's surprise but Kagura just chuckled. "I suppose you're right, it is possible but very unlikely that he will survive."

Yoji lit a cigarette and hungrily puffed at it while they waited, he always did that when he was nervous, while Takeru stood next to him waving the smoke rising around his face away and coughing a little. "You shouldn't smoke, it's bad for your health."

Yoji turned his head and glared at Takeru. "You sound like my mother…" he grumbled. 

"You're mother must have been a smart woman then."

"Shut up."

Kagura came striding up to the two men a moment later and judging by the look on her face they had found no leads.

"No luck?"

"None."

"Where do we go next?" Yoji asked, taking another puff of his cigarette. 

"We'll continue our search until we've found something but we'll split up. That way we'll be able to cover more ground. You each have your cell phones with you, if you find anything or need assistance you'll report back to me" Kagura stated. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." They both replied.

**.   .   .**

Inuyasha groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His vision blurred and then refocused in a manner of seconds. He blinked and sat up, but that seemed like a bad decision, moving seemed to make his whole body burn and he gasped in pain. Inuyasha looked around the room and found that he was in his bedroom, in his own bed, but it seemed different somehow, but why?

_Hey, I don't remember a television being there or that mirror…_ he thought and suspiciously eyed the room. Inuyasha looked down and noticed that his shirt had been removed and that someone had treated and bandaged his wound, but whom? 

A loud series of crashes came from the kitchen and Inuyasha immediately got to his feet, using the walls to help him walk down the hallway. He reached the doorway to the kitchen and peered inside cautiously, as if expecting one of Naraku's henchmen to be waiting for him but instead he found the girl, Kagome on her knees on the ground. Pieces of broken dishware and glasses were all around her and there was blood on the floor as well. 

She looked up and saw Inuyasha standing there staring at her and she turned as white as a ghost. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I was trying to cook dinner…"  

"What happened?"

"I was trying to get the dishes down but they were---"

"I'm not asking about that. I'm asking what happened to you. Are you injured?"

Kagome seemed to be surprised by this but she stood up and held out her hands to Inuyasha. Her fingers and plams were cut and bleeding. She had tried to pick up the pieces of glass but had gotten injured in the process. It seemed she had also injured her leg, when she was crawling around and trying to pick up the mess. 

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." Inuyasha glanced back into the living room and saw the medical kit sitting on a table that he didn't recognize, in fact, he didn't recognize the living room at all. "Where the hell did all of this come from?" 

"There was a note. Your friend Miroku wrote saying that he bought you some more furniture and paid your utility bills."

"Miroku? Damn him, why won't he ever mind his own business? How the hell did he get a key to my apartment anyway…?" Inuyasha grumbled and grabbed the medical kit as he walked into the living room. He sat down on the floor near the window even though there was now a brand new, comfortable looking couch available right next to him. Kagome had wanted to ask him why he had such an attitude towards a guy who seemed very generous and a good friend but she had decided against it. She didn't want to upset him anymore then he already was. She didn't want to be kicked out of his apartment, but most of all she didn't want to be alone.

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. "Come over here." She did as she was told and sat down in front of him. He took out a few bandages and a bottle of alcohol then began to treat her wounds. 

After he had finished bandaging her hands and leg he asked her: "How did we get here?"

Kagome replied: "I carried you."

"Y-you…did?" Inuyasha seemed astonished by this but then went on to ask, "How did you get into the apartment?"

"When I came into the building I ran into a nice guy named Hojo. He---"

"Hojo?!"

Kagome blinked at Inuyasha's outburst of emotion. Why did he sound so upset? She couldn't see anything not to like about Hojo. He seemed nice, he was very friendly and he was kind of cute too…in a stupid, dense kind of way.  

"Did you tell him anything?" Inuyasha demanded. 

"About what?"

"You know what!"

Kagome frowned. "If you mean about Naraku, no, I didn't tell him anything. Why would I?"

Inuyasha didn't reply, instead he decided to ignore her question and stare blankly out the window. 

Inuyasha, Kagome had already decided, was going to be difficult to get along with but she would try her best. She needed him, whether she liked it or not. 

Kagome crawled over closer to the window and looked up at the stars. Her eyes grew wide with amazement. "Wow…!" she gasped, staring breathlessly up at the millions of balls light in the dark sky. 

"Kagome…"

She turned to him, giving him an odd look. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

She smiled at him, "that's the first time you said my name." 

Inuyasha's cheeks reddened a little; he had actually made her smile? He couldn't remember making a girl smile before that is except for Kikyo, his old girlfriend, but she was gone now. She was apart of the past. 

"…So what?" he tried to sound angry but it didn't come out with much emotion, not enough to sound convincing anyway. "Hey."

"Hm?"

"What happened to your face?" 

Kagome frowned a little and touched the bandage over her cheek. "Naraku…can get angry easily and he is also very psychical when he…" she trailed off and looked too ashamed to continue, but Inuyasha didn't need any help figuring out what Naraku had done.

"He raped you, didn't he?" 

Kagome just nodded her head and looked back out the window again. "He took me for the first time when I was sixteen years old. He said that I was mature enough to know how to please 'my master'. It could have been a lot worse though…" 

Looking back Kagome really couldn't understand herself. She had actually let a man violate and beat her for years and done nothing or said nothing, she knew that even if she had fought back it wouldn't have made a difference but maybe it would have made her feel better then she did right now. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." 

Kagome looked at Inuyasha. He was looking right back and his face looked so kind, his voice gentle and soothing. "It must have been painful for you. But you won't have to worry anymore. I'll going to protect you from him."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha for a long while then, nodded, slowly she began to cry, which made Inuyasha quickly begin to panic. "H-hey! What did I say wrong this time?" he exclaimed. 

Kagome just smiled and wiped her tears away. "I'm just happy!"

"Happy? People don't cry when they're happy…"

"Yes, they do."

"I've never cried before when I'm happy."

Kagome made a face then said: "That's because you're male." Inuyasha glared at her, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…"

"Tell me right this instant!" he demanded. 

Kagome snapped back angrily. "Don't shout at me!"

"Shut up! Don't command me, woman!"

_And the bickering went on long into the night…_^_^;;

**To be continued…or not. =P**

(A/N: Holy crap! 40 something reviews already? O_O I'm glad people like the fic so far! 

Whoo-hoo! 3rd chapter is finished! *dances around the room happily* Chapter 4 will be along shortly. I just have to write it up. Truthfully people I'm just writing this as I go along, but I have an idea of where I'll take the story, and I'll just add more details as I go. 

Thanks to all of you who bothered to read my sad excuse for fic and a special thanks to you reviewers! *huggles them*)

Next chapter

_Chapter 4: The Return of an old flame._


	4. Chapter 4: The Return of an Old Flame

Thief 

Disclaimer: See chapter one for details. =P

(A/N: Aiiiyaaa…this is the first time I've actually gotten threats to **finish** a fic but it's all good. ^_^;; 

I'm just glad everyone is enjoying it so far. This chapter might be written a little sloppier then the first three so I apologize. I've had a lot on my mind these past few days but I'll continue to write this fic to the best of my abilities. Oh yes, and in this chapter Kikyo appears to try and mess everything up. *laughs manically* Enjoy.)

Chapter 4: The return of an old flame.

It was morning and Inuyasha was the first to awaken. His eyes slowly opened and he found himself staring up at the ceiling. He had fallen asleep in the living room sometime last night but he couldn't remember when exactly, he could only remember bits and pieces of the night before.

Talking to Kagome. Making her smile. Fighting with her afterwards. 

_Tch. And she thinks I have a short fuse_ he thought bitterly. His whole body was still aching and it was probably sore from sleeping on the floor.

He went to turn over on his right side but he found that he couldn't move his left arm; it was pinned down by something. 

Inuyasha turned over on his left side and was shocked to see Kagome curled up next to him, still sleeping soundly with her head resting on his left arm. 

He could feel her breathing onto his neck; it made his cheeks flush and his hair stand on end. Inuyasha couldn't remember the last time he had been this close to a girl. 

He sat up bit by bit and slowly began to pull his arm out from under Kagome's head. She groaned suddenly and Inuyasha froze, fortunately she didn't wake up, instead she turned over away from Inuyasha and clutched to one of the couch pillows that had been lying on the floor.

Inuyasha sighed with relief and watched Kagome sleep for a while. 

She looked so…**cute**. 

Kagome was a pretty girl, he couldn't argue about that but he hated it when she talked too much or said something that she knew would upset him, which made her very **uncute** to him. She was annoying most of the time but oddly enough he liked her.

Kagome groaned and turned over again, this time she was lying on her back, arms over her head and breathing quietly through her mouth. 

Inuyasha's eyes slowly wandered over to the sleeping girl again and lingered over her body a while then trailed down until his gaze suddenly came to a stop where her dress was well up over her thighs. 

He blushed and her turned away. _Arg! What am I thinking? _ He thought, slapping his cheeks furiously. He was **not** going to allow himself to take advantage of Kagome. He was going to protect her, watch over her, that was what he was going to do. Nothing else.  

Inuyasha got up and disappeared down the hallway only to return a moment later with a small blanket. He put it over Kagome then headed for the bathroom to take a nice, **cold** shower. Maybe that would help clear his head. 

**.  .  .**

"It says here that Yonda High was where Inuyasha went to school a year or so ago but dropped out after his father was killed. I thought that maybe I could find him or maybe some friends of his that could help us out." Yoji was speaking into his cell phone to Kagura, while he looked over a report on Inuyasha that he had recovered from **Shikon**'s database. **Shikon** was the name of Naraku's company but it was also the name of a super computer that was used for his own personal gain, and hardly ever for business. With it you could look up useful information and even dig up some dirt on anything or anyone.

"Very well. Try not to cause any trouble. We need to keep this as quiet as possible." 

Yoji hung up after that. 

The school bell had just rung and it didn't take long for the students of Yonda High to come piling out and scatter all over the schoolyard. Yoji took a moment to adjust his sunglasses and pick a piece of fuzz off his suit then made his way through the school gate. He looked around and spotted a group of female students and decided that he would try questioning them first. 

They were like any other female students, chattering and gossiping amongst themselves but stopped abruptly when Yoji had started to approach them. They all turned and to look at him as if he were an enemy. 

"Who are you?" One of the girls asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Yoji flashed a card at them then put it back in his pocket before they even had a chance to glance at it. "My name is Yoji and I work for a very powerful organization for the government and I was sent here to investigate one of your fellow students. He is a suspect in a highly classified investigation. I would be grateful in you would supply any information you have and cooperate with me."

The group of girls stared at him stupidly, as if he had spoken another language to them. _Teenagers_ he thought bitterly. _Most are as stupid as cows…these girls are no exception it seems._

Yoji coughed a moment and then said: "Anyway, I'm looking for a young man named Inuyasha."

A blonde girl frowned a little at the sound of the boy's name, "Inuyasha? He left school a year ago. He's not here anymore."

Yoji arched an eyebrow as if this was new information to him. "Is that so?" he said, trying to sound disappointed then he asked: "Can you tell me where to reach him?"

A redhead in the back spoke up. "None of us knew him personally but Miroku might be able to help you." All of the girls began to giggle and sigh at the mere mention of Miroku. Obviously he was popular with the girls.

"Does this Miroku still go to school here?"

"No. He graduated last year but he comes to visit the school often. His family is rich so they make donations a lot. Miroku brings the checks here personally. He says he doesn't trust the post office."

Yoji was about to ask a few more questions when one of the girls standing next to him let out a high-pitched squeal into his ear. 

"It's Miroku!" another girl gasped dreamily and pointed. All of the others girls turned their heads and saw Miroku coming into the school gate wearing a school uniform and with a folder tucked under his arm. 

Yoji had also looked but when he turned his head back he saw that he was now standing alone, the group of girls had flocked to Miroku like sheep to a shepherd.

"Miroku!" the girls squealed in unison as the gathered together around him, busily asking him questions and greeting him.

"Ah, Miroku, wearing your old uniform again?" one of the girls grinned. "Won't Sango get upset?" another girl teased. Miroku just laughed nervously.

"Miroku!" 

He turned his head and a girl with long dark hair came running up behind him. "Why did you leave me behind?" she demanded angrily. Miroku just smiled and laughed nervously, "Ah, Sango-chan, no reason. I just wanted to get this down sooner…you know?"

"It seemed like it. I turned around for one second and you took off running like the sky was falling…" Sango grumbled.

Miroku and Sango had grown up together and they went to the same schools and were always in the same classes. They had been thought of as a couple throughout the years to their fellow classmates but had not officially gotten together until after their high school graduation. 

Sango went almost everywhere with Miroku, one of the reasons was because she was a dedicated girlfriend then the other reason because she didn't trust him enough not to flirt with another girl when she wasn't around. She cared for Miroku a lot but he was a born pervert.

Sango glared at him. "You left me behind so you could flirt with the female students here, didn't you?"

"T-that's not true…"

"I know your lying. I thought it was funny that you were wearing your old school uniform again." Sango grabbed him by the ear and gave him an accusing look. "After you talked to the principle you were going to blend in with the other students so I wouldn't be able to find you then you could flirt with the other girls, isn't that right?"

The groups of girls laughed. Sango looked like a mother disciplining a naughty toddler. Miroku winced in pain but laughed, despite himself. "Now were would you get an idea like…ow! Ow! Oooowwwww!" he howled as Sango pulled him away from the group of giggling girls and towards the entrance of the school.

"Excuse me!"

Sango let go of Miroku and they both turned their heads, only to see Yoji standing right behind them.

Sango arched an eyebrow at the guy. "Yes?"

"You're Miroku, right? My name is Yoji and I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

"What about?" Miroku asked his face had turned dead serious.

"You're Inuyasha's friend, are you not?"

"What if I am? What do you want with him?"

"Nothing. I just thought that I could ask you a few questions about him and…"

Miroku quickly cut him off. "I'm sorry but Sango and I have an important manner we need to attend to today and we're in a hurry. No time for questions" he smiled pleasantly. 

Sango was looking at Miroku questionably but she decided to go along with him, he probably had a reason for avoiding talking to this strange guy but she would ask Miroku about that later.

"If you'll excuse us." Miroku grabbed Sango's hand and led her back towards the school gate but before they left he stopped a young man and handed him the folder he had been holding. "Take this to your principle." 

The young man nodded, "sure."

Yoji just stood where he was and watched them go. He knew that Miroku was avoiding him, but the kid couldn't know about the reason he was asking about Inuyasha, could he? 

No. That was impossible. Anyway, it seemed that this idea had been a total waist of time and energy. He would get no information here. He would just have to keep looking and keep his eye on this Miroku kid.

"Miroku, what was that all about?" Sango had asked him once they were safely off the school's premises. Miroku didn't answer her. He just got into his car and told her to do the same. Sango could tell that there was something on his mind but she didn't know what.

"Miroku…?"

"Later." He told her as he started the car and sped down the street.

**.  .  .**

It was dark, so dark and so cold. Kagome couldn't see a thing, not even her own hands. She felt numb and frightened. Kagome knew that someone, somewhere was watching her and waiting for her to let her guard down so at just the right moment that something or someone could pounce on her and clench its jaws around her.

_Someone…anyone…help me…_ she begged but no one replied to her calls and pleas. She was alone in this horrible darkness. 

For a moment, Kagome thought she saw a faint shape in the distance and it looked like a woman, someone she recognized from long ago.

_Mother…_

She reached out to the figure but in an instance the figure melted away into nothing. Kagome's eyes grew wide in horror and she laid her face in her hands, sobbing.

Please don't leave me alone! Please…please… 

She could feel something breathing down her neck and she clamped her eyes shut in fear. She felt hands as cold as ice slide slowly down her shoulders and arms, pulling her closer and closer.  

No! No! No! 

"No!" Kagome screamed and shot upright. She was covered in a cold sweat. She breathed in and out rapidly; her heart was beating so hard against her chest it hurt. 

Kagome jumped when she heard a door slam shut and she looked up. Inuyasha was walking up to her, wearing only a towel around his waist and he was still dripping wet. Apparently, he had just finished taking a bath. Kagome blushed then looked away. "W-what are you doing, pervert! Put some clothes on, will you?"

"Pervert? You're the only who kept screaming out here like you were in trouble so I came out to check on you." Inuyasha grumbled and started stomping down the hallway. "The bath's free! Take one and put this on!" he told her and tossed a rather large pajama top into her arms. He quickly added, "you need one your starting to smell and you look like an accident." 

Kagome's cheeks puffed out in anger. "Why…you…" she wanted very badly to give Inuyasha a piece of her mind but he was right, she **did** need a bath. She hadn't taken one since they had left the mansion and she was beginning to smell. 

She got up off the floor and walked into the bathroom, she closed the door and went to lock it but to her horror the door had no lock. Kagome opened the door and walked over to Inuyasha's room, his door was shut, meaning he was probably still changing. "Inuyasha, the door has no lock" she called.

"So what?" an angry voice exclaimed.

"I can't take a bath knowing there's no lock to the door! You could walk in at anytime!" Kagome snapped. 

"You're worried that I might take a peek at you?" she heard him snort. "What's there to peek **at**?"

Kagome frowned and kicked the door with her foot. It wasn't the most mature thing to do but it was like a reflex. She couldn't help it. Kagome turned and limped back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Inuyasha didn't peek at Kagome; in fact the apartment was still quiet even after Kagome came out of the bathroom. She came out wearing the pajama top that Inuyasha had given her. It was so huge that it actually fit like a nightgown; the sleeves were twice as long as her arms. 

She found Inuyasha sitting in the living at his usual spot near the window. He turned when she had entered the room and blinked in shock. Kagome stared at him. "What is it?" 

He didn't say anything at first but he was blushing. She followed his gaze and noticed that he was getting an eyeful of her slightly exposed breasts; she had forgotten to button up that last two buttons. Kagome closed the shirt, blushing furiously. She reached over and chucked the T.V. guide that was resting on the coffee table at him. It hit Inuyasha square in the face. She had a better aim then she thought.

"Pervert…!"

Inuyasha rubbed his nose while shooting her a glare. "It's not my fault you forgot to button up the shirt," he muttered. 

"You shouldn't have been gaping at them!" she exclaimed. "Who's shirt was this anyway? It can't be yours…its way too big." 

"It was my father's before he died."

"Oh…"

There was an awkward silence after that and before either of them could say anything the front door of the apartment burst open. Miroku was standing there in the doorway and standing safely behind him was Sango. 

Inuyasha's eyes suddenly darkened and he growled. "Miroku…!" 

He immediately got to his feet and marched over to the other boy, grabbing him by the collar. 

"It'ssss…goooood…tooo…seeee…youuuu too, Inuuuuyaaaasha" Miroku slurred as Inuyasha shook him violently, muttering every curse word and obscenity you can imagine. 

Kagome just stood in the background, watching them with her eyes wide. _Ah, so…that's Miroku. _She thought and also wondered if this was what male friends did to display their affection for one another, by beating the crap out of each other and swearing. Probably not, but she wasn't about to ask Inuyasha about it while he was in such a bad mood.

Sango squeezed past the two brawling boys and walked up to Kagome. They both looked at each other a moment, silently regarding one another then Sango began to walk around Kagome, examining her. 

"Wow, you're a cute one!" she smiled, clapping her hands together. "Who would have thought that Inuyasha would actually get someone as cute as this for a girlfriend."

Both Inuyasha and Miroku looked in the girls' direction with surprised looks on their faces. 

"I have a girlfriend?"

"Inuyasha has a girlfriend?" they said at once. 

Kagome blushed then said quickly, "N-no…I'm not Inuyasha's girlfriend!"

"Oh?" Sango said, sounding disappointed, "Are you a relative then?"

Kagome didn't exactly know how to answer her. She wanted to tell her the truth about Naraku, about how Inuyasha had saved her, but she didn't know if Inuyasha would get angry or not. 

"She's a friend. Her name is Kagome." Inuyasha spoke up and dropped Miroku. "She's staying with me until she can find a place of her own."

"She doesn't have any family to go to?" Sango asked.

"No. I don't remember---I mean I don't have any family around here." Kagome explained but Sango didn't appear satisfied with it, she seemed to know that they were lying but she didn't ask any more questions and Kagome was grateful to her for that. 

Miroku straightened out his shirt then walked over to next to Sango. "Sorry to barge in like this but I had something I wanted to discuss with you," he told Inuyasha. 

"The first thing is that some guys in black suits have been asking about you. One called himself Takeru, he came to visit me at my house and the other said his name was Yoji, Sango and I ran into him at our old school. They both asked me if I knew where you were and if I knew of someplace to contact you but they didn't tell me much else." Miroku looked very serious as he said this and he also looked concerned. 

Inuyasha didn't seem to react at all. He wasn't surprised that they had found Miroku and gone to him to ask about his whereabouts but knowing them they would undoubtedly go after Miroku or anyone else that they suspected of knowing anything and get the information they needed, one way or another. "You didn't tell them anything did you?"

Miroku shook his head. "Nothing. They looked suspicious and I didn't trust them." He paused for a moment then asked: "this wouldn't have anything to do with Naraku, would it?"

Kagome seemed surprised by his question but Inuyasha was not, Sango just stood there with a confused look on her face. "What's going on? What about Naraku?" she asked, crossing her arms and glancing at Miroku.

"It's nothing." Miroku replied then decided to change the subject. "The second thing is that I learned that your old girlfriend Kikyo was coming back to town." Inuyasha's reaction was exactly as he imagined. He was utterly shocked. "When?" he asked quickly.

"She should be here any day now and I heard that she wanted to see you." Miroku glanced over at Kagome. She was standing with her head down, still clutching at her shirt. _Inuyasha's old girlfriend, huh?_ Kagome thought. If this Kikyo girl came here she knew that Inuyasha would probably want to be alone with her but where would she be able to go in the meantime?

"Anyway, we've stayed along enough. We'll get going now" Miroku smiled then turned to leave but Inuyasha wasn't through with him yet. "How do you know that Kikyo is coming here? Where did you get this information?" he demanded.

"I'm not at liberty to reveal my sources!" Miroku called over his shoulder then left out the front door, leaving behind a very unhappy Inuyasha. 

"Erm, Nice to meet you, Kagome. My name is Sango. I hope we'll be able to hang out together in the future" she said, smiling then ran after Miroku, shutting the door behind her. 

Inuyasha and Kagome stood in silence and then after a few moments she had gathered up enough courage to look at Inuyasha. He was standing there, his face expressionless and his eyes blank. 

He must have thought a lot about Kikyo in the past…and why shouldn't he? She was his old girlfriend after all. 

"Do you want me to leave?"

Inuyasha looked at her. "Why would I want you to do that?"

"…Don't you want to be alone with Kikyo? If I were here it would just make things uncomfortable, right? Maybe it would be better if I left."

"I don't want you to leave."

Kagome stared at him, confused. Her heart was beginning to speed up and her cheeks were beginning to burn. She didn't know why she was feeling the way she was, all he had said was that he wanted her to stay, and nothing more. But somehow when he had said that it made her feel special. Odd, yes…lately she had been feeling many odd things, things and emotions she couldn't explain or had never experienced before.  "B-but…"

There was a knock on the front door and they both looked towards it. Maybe it was Miroku or Sango again or maybe it was Hojo.

Inuyasha was the first to approach the door. He lifted his hand to the doorknob then opened it slowly. His eyes widened and he stepped back from the door, staring out.

A pale hand on the other side lifted up and pushed the door open the rest of the way. There in the doorway stood, not Miroku, not Sango and not Hojo but Kikyo. She looked up at Inuyasha and smiled a little. "It's nice to see you again, Inuyasha."

To be continued…or not. =P 

(A/N: Dun! Dun! Duuuuuuunnnn! Major cliffhanger, I know and I'm really sorry, but I'll write more later. I'm afraid it won't be for a couple of days though, my family is taking a trip for a few days and I probably won't be back until next Monday or Tuesday, but I'll start writing the next chapter as soon as I get back.)

Next Chapter 

****

****

****

_Chapter 5: Finding things and Losing Things.._


	5. Chapter 5: Finding Things and Losing Thi...

Thief 

Disclaimer: See chapter one for retails. 

(A/N: Hello everyone! I am back from vacation and I'm ready to finally give you the next chapter that you've been waiting so patiently for. Some people have asked whom else from Inuyasha I'll be featuring in this fic And. well, I'm hoping to somehow work Sesshoumaru, Kouga and Shippo into the fic so don't worry about them. 

If you readers have a favorite character from the series that hasn't been mentioned in my fic yet please feel free to suggest their names to me either by email or by review, if I can, I'll somehow work them into the story as well. Anyway, please enjoy the next chapter and the chapters to come!)

Chapter 5: Finding things and losing things…

Kagome felt her whole body go numb as she stared at the woman in the doorway. It was Kikyo, Inuyasha's old girlfriend. 

She was sure that Kikyo had come back to make up with Inuyasha but if the two did get back together where would that leave her? What if Kikyo decided to move in with Inuyasha? 

Kikyo's radiate smile seemed to quickly fade away when she laid eyes on Kagome, who was standing there dressed only in a large pajama top. 

"Who's this? A new girlfriend?" Kikyo asked, but she didn't sound curious at all, just irritated.

Inuyasha blinked, seeming to come out of his dazed state. "_The girl_ is just a friend."

Yes, she was just a friend but Kagome couldn't help but feel hurt. Just the other night Inuyasha had finally called her by her name but now that Kikyo had arrived she was now being referred to as "_The girl"_.

Anyway, Kagome was having a hard time believing that Inuyasha had actually mistaken her for Kikyo when they had first met. _I don't look a thing like her_, Kagome thought bitterly. Kikyo was **much** lovelier then she was in her opinion, well that is in a cold sort of way. 

Kikyo was dressed in a red, short-sleeved shirt, a short black skirt and something that looked like a lab coat. As she entered the apartment she took her index finger and pushed the small pair of reading glasses that were slipping down her nose up again. Kikyo narrowed her sharp brown eyes at Kagome and examined her from head to toe just as Sango had done, which made Kagome feel very uncomfortable. 

_Is there something on my face? Or…am I ugly or something? _Kagome wondered and resisted the urge to reach up and pat her face just to make sure. 

Oblivious to Kagome, Kikyo was not eyeing the girl because she was ugly, oh no, it was because she was simply **adorable**. Cute. Huggable even. 

Even if you were just glancing at her for the first time her appearance would give you the strong impression that she needed someone to protect her because she seemed like such a fragile and delicate creature. Kagome had a small figure and lovely features. Her pale skin seemed to bring out her beauty more. Kikyo could see also that Miroku wasn't kidding when he had told her that this girl looked like her.

"So, you had Miroku and Sango for company recently, am I right?" Kikyo asked but clearly she had asked Inuyasha and was ignoring Kagome now. Kikyo was going to make it clear to this silly girl what her place was.

"How did you know?" Inuyasha asked. 

"I ran into them on my way up here." Kikyo smiled again but it didn't seem as real to Kagome anymore. Kikyo reached out and took Inuyasha's arm then pressed her body up against him. "So, what have you been up to?" she asked innocently, still smiling.

Inuyasha and Kagome both seemed to react to this unexpected advancement by Kikyo. Kagome flinched and frowned a little while Inuyasha blushed furiously and pushed Kikyo away from him gently.

Kikyo looked at him in mild surprise. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…I just---"

"You're worried about that **girl** watching us, aren't you? What are you worried about? She's not your girlfriend and I used to get a lot closer then this when we were going out."

Kagome gaped at Kikyo and Inuyasha. They were talking to each other as if she wasn't even in the room. This whole situation made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't want to be here for this…

This doesn't have anything to do with me. Inuyasha, why didn't you let me go? 

"You forget, Kikyo. We aren't going out anymore." Inuyasha stated firmly, surprising both Kikyo and Kagome this time. By the look on his face and the firmness in his voice he wasn't kidding. 

"Fine. Have it your way." Kikyo said and then made her way over to one of the couches in the living room. She took a seat then opened her briefcase, skimming through her paper work and ignoring Inuyasha and Kagome completely. 

_What's wrong with this woman…?_ Kagome wondered. She definitely didn't seem normal but for all she knew this was the way that normal women in the outside world behaved. Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha only to find that he was staring hopelessly in Kikyo's direction. His eyes seemed blank and he looked tired. 

Kagome knew this must be hard for him. He must have really loved Kikyo and it must have really torn him up when they broke up. It confused Kagome though as to **why** Kikyo was here. Apparently she wasn't here to get back together with Inuyasha…at least not anymore, why was she still here?

"Inuyasha."

He looked up and Kikyo stood to her feet. "I have a few documents I'd like to show you, it's about something important but it seems that I don't have them here. Would you mind getting them for me?" she took out her car keys then tossed them to Inuyasha. "My car is outside, it's a small black Toyota." 

Kagome's eyes wandered from Inuyasha to Kikyo then back again. Inuyasha stood where he was for a while, clenching the keys in his hand. It seemed apparent that he didn't like running errands for anyone, especially his old lover as if he were some kind of dog. 

Maybe he had been expecting to talk quietly with Kikyo when she had arrived and settle things once and for all, or maybe not. 

"Fine." Inuyasha turned and left the apartment without another word. Kagome watched him leave and suddenly became nervous. Now she was alone with Kikyo. What could she say?

"Girl, get me some tea, would you?" Kagome heard Kikyo say. 

Kagome frowned. What did she look like? A servant? This woman was already beginning to get on her nerves and she hadn't even known her for five minutes. Nonetheless, Kagome did as she was told and prepared a pot of green tea. She brought it into the living room along with two small teacups and set them onto the table.

Kikyo looked up from her paperwork and at her teacup then at Kagome. "Fill it up."

Kagome frowned again but again did as she was told. She picked the teapot up then went to pour the tea.

"It's a pity you don't know your own last name, Kagome."

Kagome immediately dropped the teapot. It shattered into pieces and spilled hot tea all over the table and onto Kikyo's papers. Kikyo stared at the mess with am angry frown. "My, look at the mess you made."

"H-how do you know my name?" Kagome immediately asked. 

Kikyo ignored her and picked up her soaking wet papers then put them back into her briefcase. 

"Please, tell me! Do you work for Naraku? You won't tell him where I am will you? I beg of you! Please don't tell him where I am!" Kagome knew what she was saying then at the same time she didn't. She was losing control of her emotions. What if Kikyo didn't work for Naraku? Then she would undoubtedly want to know the whole story or she would probably call the police or maybe she would just smile and say she didn't know what Kagome was talking about and leave it at that, yeah, right.

Kikyo's face remained emotionless and she still refused to talk to Kagome. Oh, what was she going to do? What if she had made a mistake? Kagome wanted to slap herself for having such a big mouth.

"That collar…it makes you look like a slave."

Kagome reached up and touched the black choker around her neck. She had forgotten about that. "I was a slave."

"Why don't you take it off, rid yourself of Naraku once and for all?"

"I would if I could, but I can't remove it. I just can't." She did want to take it off but she really couldn't remove it from her neck. Naraku had designed it himself and had a small electronic chip installed. If Kagome tried to remove the collar it would give her a nasty shock, so, she was stuck with it. 

"You really are a stupid girl. Pretty but stupid." Kikyo said, glaring at Kagome. 

_What is that supposed to mean? _Kagome thought, feeling insulted. 

"Someone in your position shouldn't trust anyone, not even a guy like Inuyasha and you shouldn't go around babbling that nonsense you just mentioned. I might be working for Naraku but then again I might not."

Kagome stared at the woman sitting in front of her. Was she trying to give her advice or was this a warning? Whatever it was she was still frightened. 

"My advice to you is to get moving. Leave. Just leave and don't tell Inuyasha where you're going. It will be better for you both that way."

"But, Inuyasha…he…I need him. I really--"

Kikyo interrupted her. "Silence! You don't **need** Inuyasha or anyone else for that matter. This is your problem. You have no right to drag Inuyasha into this. You know that if he gets killed by Naraku or his men it will be your fault."

_My fault…?_

Those words echoed through her mind. Kagome had never stopped to think of what the consequences would be if Inuyasha were caught with her. She didn't want to put him in danger that was the last thing she wanted to do. Maybe Kikyo was right; maybe it would be better if she just…disappeared. 

"Maybe you're right…"

"Of course I'm right."

Kagome looked up and stared right into Kikyo's eyes. Yes, she understood what she had to do now but what part did Kikyo have to play in all this? How did she know about Kagome? Was Kikyo working for Naraku or not? 

"Who are you? Really?"

Kikyo smiled slightly and opened her briefcase again, taking a small object out and holding it in her hand. "That isn't important. Sorry, but you have to sleep now." She reached out and firmly grabbed a hold of Kagome's wrist. Kagome reacted and tried to pull away but Kikyo wouldn't let go. She held something up in her hand, which gleamed in the light. It was a needle. Kikyo quickly forced Kagome's arm onto the coffee table and stuck the needle into her. 

Kagome winced in pain then pulled her arm away and held it to her chest. She wanted to demand that Kikyo tell her what she had done but Kagome suddenly began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Her whole body began to feel cold and before she knew it, everything went dark. 

**.  .  .**

Kagura was up to her neck in paper work, not mention the fact that she had Naraku breathing down her neck because he still didn't have Kagome back. Needless to say, she was not in a good mood.

The door to her office opened and one of the guards poked his head through the opening. "Miss Kagura?"

"What is it?" she grumbled. 

"There is a man named Myoga outside and he wishes to speak with you."

Kagura narrowed her eyes at the guard then looked back down at her paperwork. "Idiot, I'm busy. Send him away."

"But, miss, he says he is a distant relative of Inuyasha's. He might know something"

Kagura's head shot back up. That got her attention all right. They had been searching for two or three days but they had come up with no leads. Maybe this Myoga would be able to give her the information she needed to track Inuyasha now. "Send him in."

The guard nodded then soon after he had disappeared a round, short, balding man came walking into Kagura's office wearing a business suit and carrying a large suitcase. 

Oh yes, she remembered who he was now. Myoga Jiji was a lawyer and he belonged to a small firm in downtown Tokyo. He wasn't one of the most popular lawyers but he wasn't bad.

 Myoga had also spent a lot of time with the Hanyou family and became one of their oldest and closest friends. Even after he had swindled the family out of thousands of dollars and betrayed their trust. 

Kagura snorted. _Distant relative my ass, _She thought. He probably thought that would be the best way to get inside the building and he was right. The guards had been instructed to let no one except the employees of **Shikon** be allowed to enter the building. Myoga wasn't a genius but he had guessed right.

"Please, have a seat." Kagura motioned to one of the two chairs in front of her desk. Myoga bowed his head then took a seat, drabbing the sweat from his forehead with a small handkerchief. 

"Why have you come here, old man?" Kagura asked. She wasn't about to waist any time being polite to this guy. She wanted to know why he was here, if he knew anything of Inuyasha's whereabouts and if he would cough up the information voluntarily or would they have to force it out of him, which was really much more fun. 

Myoga took a deep breath and drabbed his forehead again. "I'm here at Sesshoumaru-sama's request. He would like to know why your targeting Inuyasha and on what charges."

Kagura smiled wickedly at the old man. So, the eldest of the Hanyou family has finally become concerned about his reputation. 

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had been the only remaining of the Hanyou family with the death of both parents and having no other living relatives. The brothers had both received a handsome amount of money from their father after he had died but it seemed that Inuyasha didn't care for money so he gave it up and it all went to Sesshoumaru. Using that money Sesshoumaru built a business that grew more successful over the years and he made him richer. Kagura knew the only reason why Sesshoumaru had sent Myoga was because he was worried that if this whole business with Inuyasha got out it would somehow affect his business.  Stupid, yes, but Sesshoumaru was a very careful person and he wasn't about to let his kid brother ruin him.

"I think you mean to ask if Sesshoumaru's good name will be tarnished because of his little brother's actions, am I right, Myoga?"

Myoga clutched at his briefcase and sweat began to pour down his face. Poor old Myoga didn't take pressure very well, even though he was a lawyer and was supposed to welcome a challenge. 

"He won't have to worry about anything. That is unless he offers to help us find Inuyasha." Kagura said without waiting for Myoga's reply. 

The tubby old man coughed into his handkerchief. "I-I will have to discuss this with Sesshoumaru-sama…" he stuttered out. 

"Right, right. Just remember to tell him that he has two days to make up his mind." Kagura said and waved her hand. "Now, get out."

Myoga got to his feet and stumbled out of the room like a frightened child. She smiled to herself as she watched him go. _Men are so easy to manipulate._

**.  .  .**

Outside the building, a limo was waiting to pick up Myoga. He opened the door and clumsily got into the car but not before he bashed his head against the roof of the car. He muttered curses and rubbed his head. "Ah…that accursed woman…I don't know how I'm going to tell Sesshoumaru-sama…" he mumbled. 

"About what, may I ask?" a voice asked from somewhere in front of Myoga inside the car. It was dark so it squinted to see. "W-who…?"

A light flicked on and there before him sat Sesshoumaru, with an emotionless face, legs crossed. 

"S-s-sesshoumaru-sama…!"

"Yes, it's me you bumbling fool, what did you find out?" Sesshoumaru snapped. 

Myoga dropped his briefcase and bowed his head. "Y-yes. So sorry. So sorry." He raised his head and wiped his sweaty brow before telling his boss of his encounter with Kagura and what she had told him. He had hoped that Sesshoumaru would be pleased with him but that didn't appear so at all. 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the round man. "You forgot to get information about that girl. The one that Inuyasha supposedly stole from Naraku."

"A-ah, I apologize. Next time I will not fail!" 

The silver haired businessman glanced at Myoga and frown. "Oh, you really think there will be a next time, do you?"

Myoga's eyes went wide in horror. "N-no, Sesshoumaru-sama! P-please, give me another chance. I beg of you!" the old man was now on the floor of the limo, on his hands and knees pleading that his life be spared. He knew that Sesshoumaru hated failure and that if one word he could take away his very life.

"Get up." Sesshoumaru ordered.

Myoga got up and the car came to a stop. "Get out. And don't come back again until you've found out about the girl." 

The door opened and a strong arm grabbed Myoga by the shirt, pulling him out of the car and throwing him onto the sidewalk. The driver closed the door again then made his way over to the driver's door.

The limo started again then drove off into the distance.  

**.  .  .**

"…gome…!"

"Kago…!"

"Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes slowly opened and she looked up. Inuyasha was staring down at her with a worried look on his face. Her head was pounding and she couldn't really remember what had happened. One moment she was talking to Kikyo then the next she found herself looking up at Inuyasha… 

"Inuyasha…?"

He breathed a sigh of relief and helped her sit upright again. Kagome groaned and held her head in her hands. "What happened?" she asked. 

"I was about to ask you the same question. I came back here and found you lying on the floor, alone."

"Alone? Kikyo left?"

It was all coming back to her now. Kikyo had confronted her, letting Kagome know that she knew about her past but Kikyo hadn't revealed much about herself. Kikyo was still a mystery but she remembered what Kikyo had told her to do. Leave and don't look back. Yes, she had decided that this was the best thing to do…Inuyasha he…

Inuyasha nodded. "Can you remember what happened?" 

"Not really…it all seems like such a blur." Kagome lied and she didn't like lying to Inuyasha but if she was going to disappear he couldn't know a thing that went on between her and Kikyo while he was away.

Before Inuyasha had left he had had a bad feeling about leaving the two women alone together but he had figured that he would only be gone a few minutes, nothing would happen. 

Kikyo was a very unpredictable person and there were still a lot of things that Inuyasha himself did not know about her. He wanted to know if Kikyo had hurt Kagome in any way but she seemed all right. He was more curious about what had gone on while he was gone. Inuyasha knew that Kikyo had planned to get rid of him. She had sent him on a wild goose chase for that stupid car of hers, which didn't exist. He had found this out after a good hour of searching and that the pair keys Kikyo had given him were fake.

Kikyo…what are you up to? 

"You loved her didn't you?" Kagome said out of the blue but she didn't look at Inuyasha, instead she decided to stare out the window.  

"Once. I did, yes, but that's all in the past now. Kikyo and I have both changed over the past year. We aren't the same people we used to be."

"…I thought…that if you truly loved a person it wouldn't matter how much they might change in appearance or attitude over the years, you'll always love them no matter what. But I guess it seems I was wrong, wasn't I?"

Inuyasha stared at Kagome in surprise, he didn't know how to reply to her statement. 

Kagome seemed different to him then before, he really couldn't put his finger on it but he just knew something was wrong, something she wasn't telling him. Inuyasha leaned over towards her and was about to demand that Kagome tell him what really happened with Kikyo when Kagome suddenly moved. She reached up wrapped her small arms around Inuyasha's neck and enveloping him in a warm, gentle embrace. 

This stunned Inuyasha but again before he could say anything Kagome mumbled something into his shoulder. He strained to hear what she was saying but her wonderful scent was distracting him. Kagome smelt of red roses and spices and her touch excited him. Get a hold of yourself! This is no time for…**that.** He told himself. 

"Kagome…?"

She froze a moment when he had said her name again then mumbled again: "I'm grateful for what you've done for me…Inuyasha. I know we haven't spent a lot of time together but believe me when I say that I will miss you."

Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha; her heart was pounding violently against her ribcage. She knew that Inuyasha would probably hate her but she just couldn't stand the thought of leaving him without saying a word to him but she knew she must leave. 

It's for the best. It's for the best. She kept trying to tell herself.

Kikyo was right. If Kagome stayed then it would just put Inuyasha in more danger and she didn't want that. This was her problem and she alone must deal with it. 

No words could describe how grateful she was to Inuyasha. It had been short but it had been fun. 

Oh, why did she feel this why? Why did her heart feel like it was going to burst? Why didn't she want to let go of him? 

Kagome knew she would never forget the way Inuyasha helped bring her true self out and how he gave her the one thing she had wanted more then anything else, her freedom. Inuyasha had helped her as much as he could it seemed and now it was time for Kagome to start living her own life, not depending on others to help live it for her. 

"What are you saying?" Inuyasha was confused. What could Kagome possibly mean? She wasn't going to leave was she? He pulled her gently away from him so he was able to see her face but she refused to look at him. "Kagome, answer me!" 

Kagome shook her head. "I can't tell you anything. I'm sorry." She pushed him away from her. She stood to her feet then ran down the hall. 

Inuyasha stood up as well and chased after her. His bedroom door was slightly open. He entered the room and expected to see Kagome trying to hide somewhere but she wasn't anywhere to be found. 

Inuyasha slowly walked over to the window in his room and found that it was wide open. Rain immediately began to fall outside, the sky turned dark.

Kagome was gone.  

**To be continued…or not. =P**

(A/N: Ohohohohohoho! I'm so **evil **aren't I? I apologize about giving you guys another nasty cliffhanger. *reads her chapter* I don't know…this chapter seems a little rushed, maybe I should space it out a bit more? What do you guys think? 

Anyway, I'm planning on giving Sesshoumaru a big role in the next chapter. I am a big Fluffy lover after all. *thinks up many evil things to do* XP)

**Next Chapter**

Chapter 6: A New Keeper.


	6. Chapter 6: A New Keeper

Thief 

Disclaimer: I do not Inuyasha! All the characters used in this fan fic are the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi!

(A/N: Ack! X_x How long has it been?! One, two months since I gave you guys the newest chapter? (^^);; 

I'm **so, so sorry! Schoolwork has been a pain in the ass lately and I've had absolutely **NO **time to write, I apologize for the long wait. ***bows bows* **And if there are typos then please forgive me. ***cowers in a dark corner* **_)**

Chapter 6: A New Keeper

_ Sesshoumaru-sama? _

"What is it, Myoga?" he growled into his cell phone. Sesshoumaru had assumed that after their encounter this afternoon that Myoga wouldn't have had the guts to come to him again and he was right of course. Myoga was too much of a coward to talk to him face-to-face so the bumbling fool had called him on the phone instead. At least that way Myoga wouldn't risk putting himself in psychical danger but then again even he knew that if he angered Sesshoumaru it would only be a matter of time before he was found, killed or worse.

_ A-about the girl… _Myoga stuttered nervously into his office phone, tapping his short pudgy fingers nervously on his desk as he spoke. He may not have been speaking to Sesshoumaru directly but just the sound of the man's voice made the lawyer's blood run cold. 

"Have you found anything useful about her?"

_ Y-yes…ah…well, it seems that the girl is missing _

"I know that she's missing, you fool. I want to know where my brother is and where he's holding the bitch." Sesshoumaru snapped firmly into the receiver of the small phone. 

A year ago his brother had disappeared, no one, not even he knew where his little brother had gone to and no one Sesshoumaru hired was ever able to track him down, his little brother had been able to cover his tracks well. 

Sesshoumaru knew that his bastard of a brother had Naraku's little pet but he didn't know exactly where, which was extremely frustrating. Naraku had always been fierce competition for Sesshoumaru in the past, the other man was just as ruthless as he was when it came to money but sheer ruthlessness wasn't enough to go against a man as powerful as Naraku. 

Sesshoumaru had been waiting long for the day when he could somehow get back at Naraku and now it seemed that the day had finally come. 

If Sesshoumaru gained possession of the girl he could possibly use her to get revenge against one of his most hated rivals in business, he had heard countless rumors about how attached Naraku was to his pet, the man would probably give almost anything to get her back so he would just have to take advantage of the current situation. This opportunity, though he hated to admit it, was all thanks to his brother's foolish quest for revenge.     

_ Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama, but the girl isn't with Inuyasha anymore… _

"What are you talking about?" Sesshoumaru hissed.

_ A-as I said before, she is missing. She ran away and she's somewhere in the city _

This was good news and bad news. Good, because now the girl had no one to protect her so she would easy to snatch up. Bad, because the city was huge and the chances of finding one specific girl in it were very slim. Sesshoumaru would have a hell of a time finding her, that is, unless he got lucky. 

The limousine slowed to a halt at a stoplight and Sesshoumaru lifted his gaze to stare dully out the window, it had started to rain once again and the news had stated that it would be raining for the whole week. 

He sighed and was about to turn his eyes away when he suddenly caught sight of something sitting out in the rain on the sidewalk; it looked like the person, more specifically a female dressed in white. The girl had long dark hair and dark brown eyes. Curious, he could have sworn he'd seen her somewhere before… 

He reached into his long white jacket and pulled out a small note pad, a picture of Naraku's pet, Kagome, had been clipped to it and scribbled messily around it was the little information he had received from Myoga on the girl. Sesshoumaru glanced at the picture then at the girl out on the sidewalk. Either the girl outside was the girl's twin or that was her sitting right outside.

"Pull the car over, driver" Sesshoumaru ordered and the driver immediately obeyed, pulling over and parking the car on the sidewalk near the girl. 

"I believe I have found her." Sesshoumaru said into cell phone then immediately hung up as he got out of the limo. 

  

**.  .  .**

Kagome sat alone, in a dimly lit street corner as the merciless rain beat down on top of her. She shivered from the cold and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her body warm but it seemed no use. She was soaking wet and sitting out in the rain with no place to go. She really didn't know what to do next. 

Kagome had done what she had set out to do but she didn't have time to think about what she would do after she left Inuyasha's apartment. She had nowhere else to go, no friends she knew of, she didn't know if her family was still alive either and even if they were she didn't know how she would find them, she couldn't even remember her own last name. 

She was all alone. Maybe she should have stayed a little longer at Inuyasha's apartment just to get her act together…no…the longer she stayed with him the longer she would put him in danger. She didn't want that! Kagome whimpered, reaching up and holding her head in her hands, fighting the urge she felt to burst into tears.

_I did the right thing…I did the right thing…_ She kept telling herself, reaching down and rubbing her arms to try and make the numbness she felt in her limps go away. 

Kagome looked up at the dark sky and sighed as large raindrops dripped down onto her face. She would have to think of some sort of plan. Maybe she could find a place to live and somehow make it on her own, but in order to find a place to live she needed money, but where in the world would a person like her find a job? And who in his or her right mind would hire someone like her? She didn't have any experience at all in anything and she hadn't gone to school. Living in the outside world seemed to be so hopeless now; Kagome suddenly, much to her own disgust, found herself thinking that maybe it would have been better if she had just stayed with Naraku…

_No…I never want to see that man again! _ She thought hatefully, resisting the urge to smack herself for thinking such a thing. 

Kagome turned her head suddenly when a long black car slowed to a stop on the sidewalk in front of her. She immediately became suspicious and for good reason; she couldn't afford to be caught, not now. Kagome was about to get up and walk away, but to her horror her legs wouldn't move. Why?

The car door opened and out stepped a well-dressed businessman with long flowing white hair and the same strange yet beautiful eye color that Inuyasha had. He opened a black umbrella and held it over his head as he glanced up at the gloomy sky then at the street corner with dull interest, his cold gaze slowly falling where Kagome sat, frozen. 

A little smiled crossed his lips as he gracefully walked up to her and stared down at her hungrily as if she was an object that he was interested in purchasing.

Kagome turned her eyes downward quickly, cowering under his gaze, she felt that if she let him look into her eyes he would look into her very soul and find her out. She wanted to run, run far away but her legs still weren't responding. Something inside her screamed not to panic but that wasn't an easy task when you had some strange man staring at you.

Sesshoumaru smiled at the girl before him, he could sense her fear already and he loved it. He bent down; waiting a few moments until Kagome finally looked at him then stared directly into the girl's wide, fearful eyes. 

Yes, this was the girl he was looking for. Naraku's pet, Kagome, the girl he had heard so much about and yet had never had the pleasure of meeting in person until now.

"You're soaking wet, Kagome." His voice was gentle and sounded somewhat kind, but Kagome could also sense the cruelness in his tone. 

How did he know her name? She had never met him before, the only explanation, which she could see, was that he worked for Naraku, but of course he could be just as Kikyo, a mystery. 

Kagome started to panic, struggling once again to get to her feet, but then she suddenly felt two strong hands lay themselves securely on her shoulders. He leaned over and whispered gently into her ear, "You don't have to worry, girl. I am not one of Naraku's henchmen if that's what you're thinking." He said with a chuckle. 

Kagome shivered and tried to push him away. "Please…no…" she whimpered, as she tried unsuccessfully to pull his hands off her shoulders. Right now, it didn't matter if he didn't work for Naraku; all she knew was that she had to get away from him. Just being near him made her senses scream to get far away. "Leave me alone…!" she tried to shout, but it came out only as a hoarse whisper. She was doing it again; she was cowering in fear and not standing up for herself. She was weak and she knew it. 

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He told her, grabbing her firmly by the wrists. "I'm going to take you with me whether you like it or not."

"No!" Kagome finally managed to push him away from her. "I will not be forced to go with anyone!" She reached up and clutched at the wall behind her as she pulled herself to her feet. She had to get away from this man; she didn't want to be captured again, she didn't want to be controlled and ordered around any longer.

Sesshoumaru frowned as he stood to his feet again, dusting his suit off. "I didn't want to have to do this but it seems that you leave me with no choice." He pulled something out of his jacket and knocked Kagome over the head with it. She cried out and fell limply to the ground. 

Sesshoumaru stood over the girl a while, taking his time as he looked her over again. He didn't know exactly what he would do with the girl now, but she would definitely come in handy later on. Sesshoumaru bent down and collected the unconscious girl into his arms then made his way back towards the limousine. 

"Driver let's head home."

"Yes sir." 

**.  .  .**

Miroku sighed as he sat back in his chair and reread the notes he had jolted down in class the afternoon before last. He had countless piles of books and papers scattered all around his room.  

He was a college student, studying to become a lawyer and the best damn one there ever was too. Right now he was studying for an exam. He looked up from his notes and smirked as he recalled how Sango had reacted when their professor had told them about the exam. She had almost broke down into tears, the poor thing. 

She hadn't been prepared what with her having to make countless trips to the hospital to take care of her brother whom she had said was ill. She hadn't had any time to study because she was always making sure her brother was all right and taken care of. 

Miroku would be sure to help her out though before it came time to take the exam.  He looked up from the book he had been reading and turned his head when he heard a knock at his bedroom door. Miroku set his books and papers down on his desk as he got to his feet and headed towards it. He opened the door and one of the young maids poked her head through the doorway. 

"Miroku-sama…"

"Yes?"

"Um...there's a boy downstairs that wishes to speak to you." The maid replied, fidgeting where she stood. "He looked suspicious so I tried to turn him away but he insists on meeting with you."

Miroku blinked and stood to his feet. Usually people called before they came to visit, they never dropped in unannounced unless it was urgent business or if it was one of his clueless friends he had known in high school. 

He followed the maid downstairs and was very surprised when he reached to front door. Inuyasha was standing outside on the porch with his arms crossed and a very irritated look on his face. It was pouring outside so the other boy was dripping wet, his dark bangs hanging limply over his eyes violet eyes. 

"Inu…yasha?" Miroku ran over to his friend, his mouth hanging open. Inuyasha had actually come to visit him?  Well, this was certainly unexpected. He had assumed that Inuyasha still hated him and would never in a million years come visit him unless he needed something badly enough but Inuyasha wasn't the kind of guy that asked for help, he always solved his own problems.

"Took you long enough." Inuyasha growled out. 

Miroku only chuckled at the irritated tone in his friend's voice then motioned for Inuyasha to follow him inside. "What are you doing here, Inuyasha? Knowing you, you'd never come over to my house without a good reason." Inuyasha frowned at this and didn't reply. 

"Um…" The young maid stood beside the two boys, fidgeting again and playing with her skirt with her hands. "M-may I take your coat, s-sir?" she asked Inuyasha in a nervous stutter. 

"I'm fine." He replied curtly. 

The maid looked a little hurt but a gentle smile from Miroku was enough to make her perk right back up again, she quickly bowed and then went back to finishing her chores.

"What's with the girl?" Inuyasha asked, still standing dripping wet and with his arms crossed. Miroku gave his friend an innocent smile. "Whatever do you mean?" 

"…I didn't think it was possible, you're still as perverted as you were in high school, aren't you?" 

"I don't think it's perverted to want to have nice healthy young females wandering around the house in nice form fitting French maid outfits rather then old women." 

"Idiot…"

Miroku just smiled at Inuyasha, "follow me," he said as he headed up the main staircase and stopped at a long cupboard. He opened it and reached inside, pulling out a towel then tossed it to Inuyasha, who only mumbled a quick 'thank you' under his breath. 

"So, care to tell me the real reason you dropped by?" Miroku asked curiously as they entered his room and he closed the door so Inuyasha would feel comfortable talking openly to him. The violent eyed boy didn't say anything until he finished drying his hair. He took a seat on the only thing that wasn't covered by books, Miroku's bed, and chucked the damp towel at his friend, which ended up smacking him right in the face. "Kagome is missing." 

Miroku groaned rubbing his nose then looked up at Inuyasha, dumbfounded, but then quickly narrowed his eyes at the other boy. "What? Did you say something insensitive to her? Bah, I knew you were going to sooner or later…"

"What?! I did nothing…errm…well, I might have said something I didn't mean but she didn't seem mad when she left…" Inuyasha mumbled. 

"How do you know she's missing? Maybe she just went back to her families place…"

"She didn't. She left for some reason and she didn't tell me why. I need to find her, Miroku."

Miroku glanced at Inuyasha, who looked extremely serious. "Well…how long has she been missing?" 

"Four days."

"What? Why didn't you call me sooner or even the police if you're so worried?" Miroku asked in a surprised tone. Honestly, he would have thought that Inuyasha had at least enough sense to ask for help when things concerned someone he obviously cared about but it seemed that he was still too proud to admit that he needed someone else's help. Inuyasha had always been the kind of person that liked to solve his own problems and never get anyone else involved, if necessary.  

"I thought I could find her on my own, besides, you know I can't go to the police. If I did that then Naraku---" 

Miroku interrupted, "Wait, Naraku? What does **he** have to do with Kagome going missing?" This wasn't good. Why did everything Inuyasha was involved in have to do with Naraku? Well, whatever connection Naraku had in this he knew that it wasn't good and that Inuyasha was in trouble. 

Inuyasha went silent after that. 

"Inuyasha, tell me."

"No. I can't get you involved." Inuyasha got to his feet and was about to head out of the room but Miroku also got to his feet and grabbed his friend by the shoulder. "Wait, Inuyasha---!"

Inuyasha knocked his hand away. "No. Just forget I was ever here, okay? I'll deal with this on my own…"

He couldn't risk getting Miroku involved with Naraku. As long as he didn't know anything he was safe, he didn't want to see anything happen to him. Even though Inuyasha would never admit it out loud he did actually still care for Miroku. He knew he didn't show it but he was glad to have such a good friend around to help him through things and work out his problems, any other person he knew would have given up on him, but not Miroku.  "It's for your own good."

Miroku wasn't going to give up. He reached out again and grabbed Inuyasha's shoulder. "No, I want to help and I can if you just let me. All you ever do is push me away and shut me out of your life, but I'm not going to back down, not this time!" he shouted.

Inuyasha sighed and turned to Miroku. "God, you're annoying…" 

Miroku only grinned at him, "Aw, I know you don't mean it." He chuckled. "So, what do you say?"

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you…" 

The door to the room suddenly opened and in walked Sango, catching both boys off guard. She smiled and stared at them, she had arrived not more then ten minutes ago to study with Miroku and had overheard a little of what was being said. "…Warn Miroku about what?"

**.  .  .**

"Inuyasha…" Kagome mumbled softly, reaching over next to where she lay expecting to feel another warm body next to her but instead she felt nothing but an empty space. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned as she laid one of her arms over her head, staring up at the tall, white ceiling above her, a bright blinding light shining down on her. Her head felt like it was splitting and her limps felt like they were on fire, she could barely move and when she did all she managed to do was cause herself more pain. Kagome couldn't really tell what her surroundings looked like because of the bright light shining in her eyes but she knew she was lying on some sort of bed. 

"So, you're finally awake." She heard a voice say somewhere near her. She tried to sit up but she found that her body wouldn't respond anymore. "I wouldn't try to move, you were given a drug to subdue you for the time being and I don't expect it to wear off for quiet some time…" Kagome opened her mouth to speak but the voice quickly continued. "You've been asleep for at least four and a half days. Now, I know you're probably wondering where you are but I'm afraid I can't tell you that, just yet anyway."

Kagome felt sick. It appeared that she had yet again been captured and was going to be held against her will, she only hoped that if this were true that whoever had captured her wasn't planning to return her to Naraku, that is if she wasn't already in Naraku's possession. 

Kagome gripped the sheets beneath her until her knuckles turned white. She winced then somehow managed to sit upright, breathing in and out heavily she clutched her chest as she looked over to where she had heard the voice and saw standing near her bedside the man she had seen on the street, Sesshoumaru. He stood where he was silently, one of his long graceful fingers tapping his chin as he watched her. "I'm impressed that you actually managed to move, but that little stunt I guarantee will bring you much pain later on." He approached her and brushed a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes then took her chin into his hand. "You're a lovely creature, you know. I think I see why Naraku liked you so much, you've got spirit."

"Naraku…?" Kagome whispered. His very name filled her with dread. 

"I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with you but I won't be returning you to Naraku, not just yet anyway." Sesshoumaru stood up right again just as a door behind him opened up and in walked a tall young man with long dark hair tied up in a ponytail, he was dressed in a dark black business suit. "Sesshoumaru, you're needed." 

Sesshoumaru glared back at the boy and frowned. "Right…" he said briskly as he headed out of the room without another word. Kagome had expected the young man who had just come to follow him but instead he approached her bedside and took the seat next to her. "So, you're Kagome, huh?" he tilted his head to the side and grinned at her. "My name is Kouga Ookami."

Kagome turned her gaze away from him. She was in no mood to be taunted. Why couldn't she just be left alone for once? "But I'm sure you don't give a damn, right? After all you've been through…" he continued. She blinked then turned and stared at him a moment, debating whether or not this boy was being sarcastic. 

"I heard that you were a prisoner of Naraku's for years. Must have been hell for you." The boy, Kouga, went on. It seemed to Kagome that his Kouga was trying more to have a conversation with himself then with her. 

"What are you still doing here…?" she asked him. From the way Kouga was dressed, Kagome assumed that he was some kind of businessman that must have more important things to do then annoy her with petty conversation. 

Kouga blinked at her, "wow, I'm surprised you even spoke to me." He said then smiled. "To answer your question, the reason I'm still here is because it's my job to look after you for the time being." 

"Oh…"

Kouga stood to his feet and laid his hand on Kagome's forehead, checking to make sure that she didn't have a fever, then went on to check her pulse and make certain the drugs they had give her hadn't effected her body too much.

"Are you a doctor?"

"Yes." He replied quickly and then went on with his short examination. When he was finished he stepped back and laid his hands on his hips. "Well, you appear to be fine and the affects of the drugs should wear off in a few hours." He told her. "Do you want anything?"

Kagome didn't say anything and lay back down on the bed, turning on her side, away from Kouga. "No, I'm fine," she said softly. "Just fine…"  

**.  .  .**

"What?!" Sango exclaimed once Inuyasha had explained the whole story to both her and Miroku, about what he had done only days before, about Kagome and of course about Naraku. 

Sango was sitting on Miroku's bed seething with anger while Miroku, who was seated right next to her was trying without much luck to calm her down. 

Inuyasha leaned back in the chair he was seated in and stared at the two. "So, now what do we do? I've told you everything you wanted to know, now how will we go about finding Kagome?" he asked, trying not to sound irritated but he couldn't help it. Kagome could be anywhere at this very minute and while they sat here and chatted away she could be in mortal danger; worse Naraku might already have found her. He hadn't known the girl for very long but for some reason he couldn't bare the thought of not being able to see her face again, there was something about her… 

"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?" Miroku asked abruptly. Inuyasha snapped out of his train of thought and shook his head, "no, I remember her telling me that she doesn't remember much about her past, so even if she had relatives she wouldn't know where to go to find them." He explained. 

Sango was still in outrage; after hearing about what Kagome had probably been forced to deal with throughout the years she had been a possession to Naraku. The way he beat and raped her not even caring about what Kagome wanted or how she felt. 

Sango wanted more then anything else to help Inuyasha find the girl and help her. Sango hadn't quite gone through the exact same experience as Kagome but she knew what it felt like to be betrayed and violated, her father had beaten and taken advantage of her when he had been living with Sango, her mother and brother, Kohaku. Her father had always been a terrible drinker and when he drunk he was usually in a bad mood, which caused him to take out his frustrations and anger out on his family. Her mother was helpless and hid herself away when she knew he had been drinking, afraid that he would beat her. So, Sango had been left on her own and tried her hardest to protect her brother from her father's drunken rage but he too fell victim to his father's abuse and ended up in the hospital, this had happened not more then a few months ago and Kohaku still hadn't fully recovered enough to return home. 

Of course, Sango hadn't told Miroku or anyone else for that matter about what had been happening at home, she didn't want him or anyone else to worry about her, now that her father had moved out of the house she was sure that things would get better over time, or at least she hoped they would. Things had been bad at first but Sango had promised herself that she wouldn't let it get her down; she swore that she would make it in the world and she as well as her family would be happy no matter what. She knew Kagome must want the same thing for herself, probably more so and she wanted to help Kagome achieve happiness.   

Sango leapt to her feet with her fists clenched. "Well, I say we get out there now and start searching for her. The more time we waste here the harder it will be to find her." She then turned and stomped out of her room, leaving a wide-eyed Miroku and a confused Inuyasha. "Is she usually like this?" he asked. Inuyasha hadn't really known Sango personally in high school, he only knew that she was a childhood friend of Miroku's and was now, conveniently enough, his girlfriend. She usually seemed like a quiet, collected girl but now…

Miroku was about to reply when Sango poked her head back into the room again, with an irritated look on her face. "What are you guys waiting for?" she demanded. "Lets go!"

Both boys looked at each other a moment then quickly got to their feet, following Sango out of the room and closing the door behind them.

**To be continued…or not. =P**

(A/N: Oooooh boy, this chapter believe it or not was not very easy to write, I had writers block for a hell of a long time…I just couldn't think of where I wanted to take the story but I've thought about it for a long time and I've come up with some ideas for the chapters to come. Again, I ask for you readers to forgive me for making you wait so long for the next chapter. Hopefully the next one should be done soon. Anyway, Shippo should be making his entrance very soon and I'm planning on putting Hojo in future chapters too. He's an idiot but he's a cute character. (-^^-) Jaaa! ) 

****

**Next Chapter**

_An Attempted Rescue._


End file.
